Officials of the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), Guwahati Branch Office, have uncovered an unauthorized hallmarking operation in Guwahati and seized equipment allegedly used for issuing fake gold hallmarks.

The raid was conducted on June 18 at M/s Ganesh Hallmarking Centre located on Col. J. Ali Road in Lakhtokia following a discreet investigation launched on June 3 into suspected violations of the BIS Act, 2016.

According to BIS, the establishment was functioning as an unauthorized Assaying and Hallmarking Centre (AHC) and was engaged in illegal hallmarking activities. During the search operation, officials found that the firm was using a laser marking machine to mark jewellery without authorization and was issuing spurious gold hallmarks carrying fake BIS logos.

The laser marking machine used in the operation was sealed, while counterfeit hallmarking materials were seized during the raid.

BIS stated that gold jewellery falls under the mandatory hallmarking regime notified by the Government of India, making unauthorized hallmarking a serious violation of the law. Action is being initiated against the offenders under Section 14(6) of the BIS Act, 2016.

Under the provisions of the Act, the offence is punishable with imprisonment for up to one year, a fine ranging from a minimum of ₹1 lakh to as much as five times the value of the goods involved, or both.

The BIS Act prohibits any testing, marking, assaying or hallmarking centre that is not recognized by BIS from using, affixing, engraving, embossing, printing or applying the Standard Mark, including the BIS Hallmark, or any imitation of it on notified products. The law also bars unauthorized entities from making claims regarding BIS hallmarking through advertisements, promotional campaigns or sales literature.

BIS officials said the organization regularly conducts raids and enforcement actions whenever credible information regarding misuse of certification marks is received and verified. Such operations are aimed at safeguarding consumers from fraud and ensuring the quality and authenticity of products sold in the market.

The Bureau has also appealed to consumers to remain vigilant and report instances of mandatory products being sold without BIS certification or cases involving misuse of the ISI Mark and BIS Hallmark.