A high-stakes police operation in Mumbai has exposed a sprawling counterfeit postal stamp empire operating across state lines, resulting in five arrests and the recovery of materials valued at Rs 27 lakh. The MRA Marg team thwarted a scheme that was undermining India’s postal system and causing substantial fiscal losses.
Triggering the probe was a formal complaint from Mumbai GPO’s postal inspector on September 12, 2025, alerting authorities to rampant fake stamps. Technical analysis confirmed a vast counterfeiting ring dispatching bogus products via courier services to markets everywhere.
Financial trails led to Rs 7-8 crore in questionable transfers, amplifying the case’s gravity. Sources indicated kingpins lurking in Delhi and Uttar Pradesh, adept at dodging law enforcement through constant mobility.
Mumbai detectives’ 14-day stakeout in the capital, fueled by informant intel, culminated in precision strikes. Seized items totaled Rs 27,84,200 in fake stamps, crippling the syndicate’s immediate operations.
The detained include local Rakesh Bind, Bihar natives Shamsuddin Gaffar and Shahid Raza, Delhi resident Mohammad Shahabuddin Sheikh, and Virendra Prasad of Ghaziabad. Probes into production secrets and supply networks continue, with the primary orchestrator evading capture amid ongoing multi-state manhunts.