Fake wristwatches seized in raid

JAKARTA (JP): National Police confiscated thousands of fake Baby-G and G-Shock wristwatches and Casio calculators from shops in Central Jakarta, an officer said.

The head of the National Police's information unit, Col. Saleh Saaf, said on Tuesday the shops were raided on Monday following complaints from the public about the sale of fake watches.

"One of the shops is now sealed and its merchandise is being confiscated as evidence for further investigation," Saleh said.

A police source said that besides the raid in Jakarta, police also raided shops in Surabaya where similar products were being sold.

The source said that during the raids in Jakarta and Surabaya, at least 100,000 fake wristwatches were seized.

He said police questioned suspects and witnesses about the sale of the fake wristwatches and would soon hand over the cases to the prosecutor's office.

Meanwhile, lawyer Turman M. Panggabean, who represents PT Martikatama Kreasicemerlang and Casio Keisanki Kabushiki Kaisha, the Indonesian distributor of Baby-G and G-Shock wristwatches and the Indonesian manufacturer of Casio calculators, respectively, said the owners of the shops selling the fake products could face a maximum punishment of seven years in jail and a fine of up to Rp 100 million (US$14,925).

PT Martikatama president Arifin said the fake wristwatches were sold at between Rp 30,000 and Rp 50,000 each, far below the price of the genuine wristwatches, which sell for a minimum of Rp 400,000. (emf/jun)