To counter the growing threat of counterfeit spares in the market, SUV-maker Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd. (M&M) recently conducted raids on an automobile spare parts retailer in Pune.

During the raid, the company successfully unearthed counterfeit clutch plates that were being illegally sold and two retailers selling spurious clutch plates were arrested by the police.

Till date, the company has conducted 34 successful raids across the country, over a period of 10 months. These operations were carried out jointly with the police and specialist agencies appointed by the company for this purpose. Various fast moving parts were being distributed to the market from these locations.

In a statement, Bharatendu Kapoor, Head of Spares Business Unit, Automotive & Farm Equipment Sectors, M&M said, “For automakers, the biggest concern is safety, since counterfeit parts can wreak havoc in a vehicle, from braking failure to triggering a fire. Today the open market is contaminated with spurious parts and customer awareness is the key to curb their sale.”

Today spurious parts reportedly take up a third of the total supplies in the market, indicating the magnitude of the problem. Therefore the company is covering the entire gamut of manufacturers, packing units, traders, retailers for both auto and tractors to crack down on spurious parts, the statement said.