London
16 °C
Manchester
16 °C
Glasgow
15 °C
Dublin
Belfast
Washington
Denver
Atlanta
25 °C
Dallas
30 °C
Houston Texas
New Orleans
El Paso
29 °C
Phoenix
Los Angeles
20 °C
14 °C
31 °C
20 °C
12 °C
Shanghai police bust gang selling counterfeit Labubu toys / Photo: © AFP/File
NYSE - LSE
| RBGPF | 0.52% | 74.42 | $ | |
| BCC | -1.47% | 84.89 | $ | |
| SCU | 0% | 12.72 | $ | |
| CMSD | -0.26% | 23.06 | $ | |
| SCS | -1.74% | 10.33 | $ | |
| NGG | -0.47% | 70.19 | $ | |
| GSK | 3.34% | 38.97 | $ | |
| RIO | -4.67% | 59.49 | $ | |
| RELX | -0.27% | 51.78 | $ | |
| CMSC | -0.04% | 22.6 | $ | |
| AZN | 3.41% | 76.59 | $ | |
| RYCEF | -3.05% | 13.1 | $ | |
| BCE | -0.55% | 23.53 | $ | |
| BTI | 0.73% | 53.16 | $ | |
| JRI | 0.38% | 13.11 | $ | |
| VOD | -0.45% | 11.06 | $ | |
| BP | -2.2% | 32.25 | $ |
Shanghai police bust gang selling counterfeit Labubu toys
Police in Shanghai busted a gang making and selling fake Labubus this month, detaining eight people and 5,000 counterfeit toys worth $1.7 million, local state-owned media reported.
Made by Beijing-based toymaker Pop Mart, Labubu dolls have become a must-have item internationally, adorning the handbags of celebrities such as Rihanna and Dua Lipa.
The furry, fanged creatures, which typically sell for around $40, are released in limited quantities and have caused frenzies at stores around the world.
Knock-offs -- many of which are also made in China -- have flooded online platforms, dubbed "Lafufus" by social media users.
The Shanghai bust in early July uncovered 12-million-yuan ($1.7-million) worth of fake Pop Mart toys, state-run Shanghai Daily reported late Tuesday.
Pop Mart notified police when a customer reported that one purchased online was in fact fake.
This led to the discovery of an online store that sold fans, speakers and gaming consoles -- but was also a front for selling the counterfeits.
Police raided a warehouse, detaining eight people and the 5,000 toys, complete with forged trademarks and fake anti-counterfeit stickers, the report said.
It is not the first time the fluffy monsters have been associated with crime.
In Singapore, CCTV footage captured a family stealing Labubu dolls from a claw machine last year, according to online media outlet AsiaOne.
And in June, burglars broke into a store in California and took several Labubu dolls along with electronics and other valuables, US news outlet ABC reported.
U.Campbell--SFF
