A counterfeit Mysore Sandal Soap production facility in Hyderabad, raided recently, had been in operation for a decade without coming to the notice of the Karnataka Soaps and Detergents Limited (KSDL). This facility is estimated to have had a turnover in the range of ₹500 to ₹600 crore in these 10 years. This is essentially a loss to KSDL.
Officials from KSDL, along with the Telangana police, recently raided the unit manufacturing fake Mysore Sandal Soap. During the operation, Hyderabad residents Rakesh Jain and Mahaveer Jain were arrested.
How the culprits were traced
On January 12, following a direction from Minister for Large and Medium Industries and Infrastructure Development M.B. Patil and KSDL Chairman B. Prem Kumar, the manager of the Hyderabad branch of KSDL informed the Telangana police about the Minister being alerted about a counterfeiting operation.
According to officials, prior to contacting the police, the KSDL conducted an investigation into duplicate products and the manufacturing unit. They purchased counterfeit products amounting to ₹5 lakh and tested them. Despite being unable to determine the location of the fake product manufacturing unit, KSDL staff strategically placed an order for soaps valued at ₹25 lakh. Under the guise of picking up the consignment, they went to the factory where the counterfeit soaps were being produced.
Fake soaps had heavy metals that could cause cancer
During the operation, police seized 20 cartons containing three-soap packs, totaling 1,800 pieces, each weighing 150 grams, as well as 47 cartons totally having 9,400 pieces of soap, each piece weighing 75 grams. Additionally, empty packing boxes for 150-gram Mysore Sandal Soap (400 pieces), and empty packing boxes for 75-gram Mysore Sandal Soap (400 pieces) were seized.
Upon examination in the KSDL laboratory, officials determined that the counterfeit soaps lack high-quality sandal oil and contain heavy metals that potentially are carcinogenic.
The individuals operating the counterfeit Mysore Sandal Soap manufacturing unit were also involved in the counterfeiting of other well-known branded products, including ghee and coconut oil, according to officials.
Congress alleges that counterfeit unit was operated by BJP workers
Priyank Kharge, the Minister for Rural Development and Panchayat Raj, and IT and Biotechnology, alleged that the two individuals involved in the manufacturing of fake soap are active BJP leaders in Telangana. Mr. Kharge claimed that they have links to Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and Telangana BJP MLA Raja Singh, Chittapur BJP leader Manikant Rathod and BJP office-bearer Vittal Nayak, who is the son of former MLA Valmiki Nayak.
Legacy of Mysore Sandal Soap
The Karnataka government-owned KSDL, with a legacy of 107 years, is renowned for producing soap infused with pure sandalwood oil. As per the KSDL website, the Government Sandalwood Oil factory was established in 1916 in Mysore by Maharaja Nalwadi Krishna Raja Wodeyar and Diwan Sir M. Visvesvaraya to extract oil from sandalwood.
In 1918, a foreign guest presented a rare gift pack of soaps made using sandalwood oil produced in India, to the Maharaja of Mysore. This sparked the idea of utilising the available natural sandalwood oil for making soap in Mysore.
According to KSDL, S.G. Shastri, who was a qualified Industrial chemist, was sent to London for advanced training in soap and perfumery technology. The era of Mysore Sandal Soap began on the return of Mr Shastri from London. He developed sandal perfume, which was considered as a landmark in the field of soap perfuming in those days. The first indigenous sandal soap was produced and introduced in the market under the brand name of Mysore Sandal Soap in 1918.
The Public Sector Undertaking (PSU) company had reported a turnover of ₹1,375 crore in 2022-23, marking a 25% increase from ₹1,104 crore in 2021-22. The company was anticipating achieving a turnover of ₹2,000 crore in 2023-24.
