Dealers of fake vehicle spare parts in custody

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)