Over 400 fake masks seized in Tirupur, three arrested

The accused were identified as Seenu (30), Nermainathan (32) and Murugan (32) from different areas of Tirupur. They had printed the fake branded masks, marketed them through social media and sold them at wholesale prices across the State.

The staff of Ramraj Cotton, a Tirupur based textile firm, had noticed a Facebook post by Seenu on September 28 about the availability of their branded masks at a throwaway price. When they contacted him as a potential buyer, who however claimed to have run out of stock, took fresh orders and received advance payment too. On confirming that they manufactured the masks with a fake logo of their brand by visiting their godown, the staff lodged a complaint with Tirupur Central Crime Branch police.

Following a detailed investigation, the police seized 437 fake branded masks and 1,532 logos of the firm. “Our branded masks are manufactured by following various quality parameters, including anti-bacterial and anti-pollution capacity, to protect people from the infection. Besides spoiling the reputation of our firm, the masks, made of cheap material, don’t help in complete protection. There are many other manufacturers involved in making such fake branded masks and a crackdown should be initiated against them too,” said a spokesperson of the firm to the media.

Though the market has been flooded with fake N95 masks and others with popular logos, this is the first instance of a crackdown against such an offence.