Hyderabad cosmetics investigation leads authorities to Mumbai wholesale market
Investigators examining banned Pakistan-made cosmetics seized in Hyderabad have traced their alleged supply route to Mumbai’s Crawford Market, an officer said. The seizures included two creams previously flagged by India’s drug regulator for excessive heavy metals. Samples are undergoing forensic examination, while five people have been identified in connection with the alleged sales.
Investigators examining Pakistan-made cosmetics seized in Hyderabad have traced their alleged supply route to Mumbai’s Crawford Market, according to an officer involved in the inquiry. The products were found during raids on Beauty Ladies Emporium, Beauty Queen Shop and S.J. Medical Shop in Hyderabad’s Habeeb Nagar and Nampally areas.
Cosmetics valued at about ₹7 lakh were seized, including whitening creams, soaps and other products made in Pakistan. The seized stock included Goree Beauty Cream and Chandni Whitening Cream. The Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation had named both products in a September 8 warning after tests found excessive levels of heavy metals.
The regulator said neither product had received a registration certificate for import and advised consumers not to buy or use them. India prohibited the direct or indirect import or transit of goods originating in or exported from Pakistan on May 2, 2025. The Directorate General of Foreign Trade imposed the restriction through a notification citing national security and public policy.
The prohibition means that routing Pakistan-origin goods through another country does not by itself make their import permissible. Cosmetics imported into India are also governed by the Cosmetics Rules, 2020. They must be registered with the Central Licensing Authority and comply with prescribed quality and safety standards.
The CDSCO had directed its zonal offices, State licensing authorities and port officers in July to increase surveillance after imported cosmetics were found in domestic markets without valid registration certificates. The Hyderabad investigation is also examining an ointment originating in the United Kingdom that was allegedly mixed with cosmetic products and sold for skin-lightening purposes. Samples have been sent for forensic examination.
Officials have raised concerns about potentially carcinogenic substances, but the laboratory results are awaited and the precise health implications have not yet been established. Five people have been identified in connection with the alleged sale and distribution of the products. The investigation is looking further up the supply chain to establish how the goods entered India and reached wholesale and retail markets.
The Crawford Market link follows a Mumbai raid in July in which Pakistan-made cosmetics valued at about ₹12 lakh were seized.
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