Counterfeiter sells purified water bottles filled with well water

JAKARTA, Indonesia – Many residents living in Jakarta rely on Aqua brand purified water for their daily drinking, and is a trusted brand among expats and foreigners.

But while Aqua is one of Indonesian’s biggest water brands, apparently not all water that comes in an Aqua bottle is safe to drink.

Depok City Police caught a counterfeiter in May, a 33-year-old man with the initials RAS. He was accused of refilling Aqua brand gallons with unsanitary water from wells.

The scam was reported by a local resident on May 16. The police said the counterfeiter repacked the gallons to look like they were sealed.

The suspect told police that he earned only Rp 1.000 ($0.075) in profit from real Aqua gallons but he could gain Rp 8,000, up to 8 times the original profit, by selling the fake one.

According to police, RAS sold approximately 30 gallons per day to local residents.

“The citizen said that there were no more Aqua gallon bottles in the suspect’s storage warehouse,” Harry Setiawan, Depok Police Chief Commissioner, was quoted as saying by local media.

Police said the suspect will be charged under consumer protection laws and could face up 5 years in prison. – Rappler.com