Mumbai shop owner booked for selling Pakistani beauty cream despite import ban
The Mumbai police seized five tubes of the cream worth Rs 2,500 from the Chembur shop during a raid following a tip-off.
The police seized Pakistani-manufactured beauty cream from his store, despite a central government ban on imports from Pakistan. (Image generated using AI).
The Mumbai Police Thursday registered an FIR against a retail establishment in Chembur for allegedly stocking and selling a Pakistani-manufactured beauty cream in violation of the Centre’s orders.
The FIR names shop owner Sanjay Shah, who has been charged with disobedience to an order by a public servant, in addition to provisions of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act. The Ministry of Commerce and Industry, through an order dated May 2, 2025, has prohibited the import of goods from Pakistan.
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A Crime Branch officer said, “We carried out a raid based on information we received. We cannot comment on anything further as the matter is under investigation.”
According to the FIR, the Crime Branch received a tip-off that a cosmetic shop owner in Chembur was selling certain Pakistani goods. On Tuesday at around 8 pm, the Crime Branch team visited the shop located on Central Avenue Road in Chembur and inquired about ‘Goree Beauty Cream with Lycopene’.
The police said the shop owner instructed an employee to retrieve a cream featuring a photo of a woman and some Urdu text. It had the following details in English: Batch No. GB152, made in Pakistan, and a retail price of Rs 499, as per the FIR.
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When the police inquired about the purchase invoice, the shop owner said that he did not have it, according to the FIR. When asked where he bought the cream, he told the police that he had obtained it from Crawford Market. The police said they searched his shop and discovered five tubes of the cream worth a total of Rs 2,500, but found no other Pakistani products.
The police said that despite the ban, the shop owner was selling cosmetics manufactured in Pakistan at his shop, thereby deceiving customers.
The police seized Pakistani-manufactured beauty cream from his store, despite a central government ban on imports from Pakistan. (Image generated using AI). 
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