After busting almost 200 medical shops in Bengaluru city for selling masks and hand sanitisers at exorbitant prices, the Central Crime Branch in Bengaluru has now raided two godowns and seized 8,500 fake sanitisers. On Friday, March 20, the two accused were arrested with stock worth Rs 56 lakhs.
According to reports, the accused, Raju and Chandan, owned Jyothi Chemicals and Swathi and Co, in New Taragupet and Kasturba Nagar in the city.
Joint Commissioner of Police, Crime branch, IPS officer Sandeep Patil, took to his Twitter handle and said, "While everyone is doing their bit to tackle the Coronavirus problem..there r few misusing this terrible situation to make a quick buck..CCB raid 2 Godowns & seize 8500 FAKE SANITIZER bottles..2 accused arrested."
While many lauded the city police for this major achievement, some netizens shared their experiences when they are fooled into buying fake sanitisers.
One said, "There are some medical stores selling small white-capped blue sanitiser bottles named "wash Karona advanced". Another said, "We are told Dettol is not available and hence we have only the local ones. Not sure how many fake ones are selling. We are desperate."
Bengaluru City Police Commissioner, IPS officer, Bhaskar Rao scans through the seized stock. 
Bengaluru police raids 8,500 fake sanitiser bottles. Image: @SandeepPatil/Twitter 
Bengaluru Police raids 210 shops black-marketing masks, sanitisers
Last week, Bengaluru crime branch deputy commissioner of police (DCP) Kuldeep Jain said, "On complaints from the public, we raided about 210 drug shops across the city and stocks seized for selling masks and sanitisers at twice or thrice the retail price."
"Though we have not come across any fake unit making them, in the city or state, we have seized about 250 bottles of sanitisers, suspected to be fake from a storage place. We sent the bottles to the lab for tests to check if they are genuine for use," said Jain.
Last week, five shops across the city were also shut for selling the sanitiser liquid bottles illegally and at a high cost.
Kuldeep Jain further added, "A special drive has been initiated across the city to check and regulate the supply of masks and sanitisers to retailers, which have been selling them at higher rates due to their shortage amid rising demand."
"Most masks and sanitisers being sold in the city are from units outside Karnataka but available through their dealer network. No facility yet to make them in the state in the organised sector," a health official said in an interview.
(Further information from officials awaited. To be updated)
