Dealers of fake vehicle spare parts in custody

JAKARTA (JP): City Police have arrested 10 unauthorized automobile spare part distributors believed to have sold fake spare parts which bear the brand names of the original producers.

"They were apprehended during our 22-day operation at various places located in an around the city," head of the Economic Crime Investigation Unit, Lt. Col. Aryanto Sutadi, announced here yesterday.

Unfortunately, the police lost track of the third parties believed to have been the main producers and suppliers of the counterfeit spare parts.

"None of the 10 people are willing to give information about the main producer and supplier," he said. "They only confessed that they purchased the fake goods from passers-by whose names they have since forgotten.

The police found that the suspects, who had no connection to each other, had sold a wide range of pirated automobile spare parts using the brand names of Hino, Honda, Mazda, Nissan, Suzuki and Toyota.

The products, mostly sold at half the price of the originals, include oil filters, fuel filters, air cleaners, ring set pistons, lining sets, roller chains, timing belts, seal units and tail-light shields.

Speaking to reporters, Aryanto said that the police have found strong indications that certain parts of some of the fake products were imported from Japan and Taiwan.

"The names of the imported goods, for example, were then erased and replaced with a well-known brand name," he said.

Users' risk

During the meeting with reporters, Aryanto was accompanied by City Police spokesman Lt. Col. A. Latief Rabar, head of the Product and Trade Investigation unit Maj. Jimmy Sinaga and executives of the related automobile spare part producers.

At many unauthorized outlets of automobile spare parts throughout the country, dealers usually offer at least two versions of the same part, one authorized and more expensive and a version from a different company at a lower price.

In these cases, Aryanto said, car owners are generally aware of the difference.

"In the case of the unauthorized dealers, however, customers were offered two identical products with the same brand name but each with a different price tag," he added. "Thus, the users did not understand that they were cheated by the manufacturer and seller alike."

The operation, which will continue to investigate further frauds, was carried out based on information provided by the automobile producers. The 10 people were arrested at their outlets in Pasar Senen and Sawah Besar area in Central Jakarta.

Executives from the original makers have no record of the losses they have suffered at the hands of the spare part counterfeiters.

According to Aryanto, the dossiers of the 10 suspects will be submitted immediately to the courts for trial.

Police spokesman Latief Rabar said that the suspects face a maximum imprisonment of one year and a maximum fine of Rp 10 million (US$4,576). (bsr)