Lower-cost airbags, but at what risk to human life? Delhi factory producing phony goods was raided

A stressed-out man showed up on Mata Sundri Road in central Delhi on Tuesday in search of a safety airbag for his automobile, which had been involved in an accident. He was offered the same for Rs 27,000 by the “sellers” in the region, although the original would have cost him about one lakh. There was only one catch: despite their appearance of authenticity, these airbags were fakes produced at a nearby improvised factory.

This person was an undercover police officer, and the purpose of the exercise was to find the phony airbag racket.

921 airbags, estimated to be worth Rs 2 crore, were found during the raid that followed. Three individuals who produced and distributed these airbags on the black market were taken into custody. One of the men who was detained, Faraz’s father, Raees, said that his son had previously worked as a welder with him before going on to partner with his neighbor Faizan in the production and marketing of airbags. Police also detained Furqan, an assistant.

The one-room, rental airbag “factory” behind a coffee shop was seen by TOI on Wednesday. After discovering the airbags while tinkering with steering wheels at gas stations, the three men—who had previously worked as welders for a junk dealer—decided to launch their own firm.

The main clientele of the gang consisted of drivers whose vehicles had an accident that resulted in the airbags being deployed. They would arrive at these unlicensed stores in need of a replacement and purchase the less expensive models. Buyers were never informed, however, that there was no assurance these airbags would open in the event of an accident. In actuality, the airbags lacked the ability to inflate and offer cushioning, as the police investigation into the unlawful business has shown. An investigator said, “They were just inexpensive dummies made to look like original airbags.”

“There are four main components of the airbags,” an investigator said. “The first is the ‘haddi,’ or iron frame, into which the airbag is folded. The second is a motor that is quite simple to find and is referred to as the “gol.” The fraudsters purchased it from a Mayapuri bazaar for less than Rs 300. The airbag itself, which they either created from fabric or took from cars that were being discarded, makes up the third component. The plastic cover for the airbags on the driver’s side dashboard and passenger side steering wheel completes the assembly.

The dishonest three quickly acquired the technological know-how to produce goods on a big scale. They started distributing the fictitious airbags by courier as well as expanding their activities to other states. Sixty airbags, the biggest cargo, were sent to Hyderabad.

Delhi Police has sent letters about this threat to public safety to all of the major automakers. Authorities are also looking into the death of someone who was involved in an accident, reportedly because the deceased’s vehicle had a phony airbag installed that was never used.