Maharashtra police and military intelligence jointly uncovered a Delhi-based gang involved in the manufacture and sale of the Indian Army’s new combat counterfeit uniforms in the open market on Friday.
Initial investigation found that the kingpin of the gang was linked to Delhi and Rajasthan.
Based on specific inputs given by Southern Command, Military Intelligence, Pune, on Friday, Bhingar police in Ahmednagar arrested an individual named Suresh Khatri, resident of Anand Nagar, Nashik who was found in possession of 40 units of Fake Combat Uniform of the new pattern at Ahmednagar Cantt premises.
Further, it came to light that the individual supplied an illegal/ fake combat uniform of new (Digital Pattern Combat Uniform) in Nashik and Ahmednagar on the context procured from the Canteen Stores Department to Army Personnel.
The investigation further highlighted that the big racket of illegal sale of combat pattern uniforms is being run in the open market. Other accomplices’ names were also revealed by the individual for their involvement in nexus from New Delhi and Rajasthan.
The Indian Army obtained the Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) design and camouflage patterns of its newly introduced camouflage pattern dress. The copyright of the design patented by the Indian Army for 10 years was extended for another five years.
The IPR was obtained to prevent unauthorized vendors from manufacturing and selling the combat pattern dress in the open market as it was posing a serious security threat to the Indian Army and the Nation as a whole.
As per the provisions on the subject, this uniform will only be sold in the Unit Run Canteens of the Indian Army. Any unauthorized reproduction of design/sale of illegal combat patterns infringes the Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) exclusively obtained by the Indian Army.
The accused was selling unlicensed new types of combat fake uniforms. Local police were alerted as the adjacent Aurangabad and Pune districts are very important and sensitive places for the army, thus the possibility of someone entering the restricted area of the concerned army department by using a fake uniform of the army cannot be ruled out.
