Pune-based snacks manufacturer Chitale Bandhu Mithaiwale, famed for its iconic Bakarwadi, has filed a police complaint against a local businessman for allegedly using the company's credentials to sell the snack under an identical brand name, officials said on Thursday.
Based on the complaint, a case has been registered against Pramod Prabhakar Chitale, proprietor of 'Chitale Sweet Home', which sells Bakarwadi under this name while allegedly falsely using details linked to Chitale Bandhu Mithaiwale, such as its customer care number, official email address and manufacturing details, they said.
Bakarwadi is a popular disc-shaped, crispy, fried snack known for its sweet, spicy and tangy flavours.
"Over the last few months, we received several complaints from customers about a Bakarwadi product being sold under the name 'Chitale'," said Indranil Chitale, managing partner of the Chitale Bandhu Mithaiwale.
"Our team procured the product from the market and noticed key differences in packaging. The credentials printed on the packet were ours, falsely linking the product to our company," he said.
The company said the procured packets were sent to its in-house lab in Bhor, where an analysis confirmed a clear difference between the original and the lookalike product.
The disputed packaging bore the label 'Chitale Sweet Home' in Marathi, along with 'Puneri Special Bakarwadi' and a photograph of the snack, Chitale said.
"Despite issuing multiple warnings to the proprietor, the misuse continued, prompting us to approach the police," he added.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (Zone 1) Sandip Singh Gill said an offence has been registered at Vishrambaug police station against Pramod Prabhakar Chitale under sections 318(2) (cheating) and 350 (making a false mark upon any receptacle containing goods) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, along with sections 66C and 66D (identity theft) of the Information Technology Act.
A probe was on into the case, the police added.
