Shanghai police bust gang selling counterfeit Labubu toys / Photo: STR - AFP/File
NYSE - LSE
| CMSC | -0.42% | 24.319 | $ | |
| RIO | -1.65% | 61.965 | $ | |
| BCE | -0.84% | 23.295 | $ | |
| CMSD | -0.49% | 24.4 | $ | |
| NGG | -1.12% | 70.365 | $ | |
| GSK | -0.44% | 40.185 | $ | |
| RBGPF | -0.87% | 76.6 | $ | |
| BCC | 1.14% | 81.39 | $ | |
| SCS | 0.98% | 16.895 | $ | |
| RYCEF | 0.46% | 15.32 | $ | |
| BTI | -1.81% | 55.035 | $ | |
| VOD | -1.88% | 11.445 | $ | |
| BP | 0.79% | 34.574 | $ | |
| JRI | 0% | 13.85 | $ | |
| RELX | 1.61% | 47.86 | $ | |
| AZN | -1.61% | 76.46 | $ |
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.
R.Marconi--IM
