Expatriates Arrested for Selling Fake Perfumes as Original

- Approximately 4,000 perfume bottles seized inside an apartment used for preparation and storage

The General Directorate of Criminal Investigations arrested two suspects of Bangladeshi nationality for their involvement in filling counterfeit perfumes and selling them as authentic, as part of the Criminal Security Sector’s efforts to combat commercial fraud and protect intellectual property rights.

The Ministry of Interior stated in a press release that investigations revealed the suspects were refilling original perfume bottles bearing global and regional brand names, filling them with aromatic oil blends similar to the original scents, and then reselling and promoting them as authentic perfumes and tester samples.

The ministry added that investigators orchestrated a purchase operation that led to the arrest of the first suspect in the Manqaf area while he was handing over three perfume bottles in exchange for 17 Kuwaiti dinars. The market value of the original equivalents is 150 dinars. It was also revealed that a report had been filed against him for abandoning his job.

The ministry clarified that during interrogation, the suspect admitted he worked for a monthly salary and disclosed an apartment used for preparing and storing perfumes. The second suspect, the warehouse owner, was lured and arrested, and he confessed to the statements made by the first suspect.

The operation resulted in the seizure of approximately 4,000 perfume bottles bearing various brand names, along with four bottles of alcohol, quantities of aromatic oils, a bottle-capping tool, and other equipment used in perfume preparation.

The ministry confirmed that the suspects and seized items have been referred to the competent authorities to take the necessary legal action against them.