Of all things made in China, it comes as no surprise that a recent discovery unveiled a production line of fake sanitary pads.
What was alarming is that the fakes under popular brand names like Sofy and Whisper, were on sale across China since July 2013, under normal prices despite being produced at a cheap cost. However, it is unclear whether they have been distributed internationally.
The counterfeits were reportedly made in a village workshop without sterile facilities in the city of Nanchang in Jiangxi province, according to South China Morning Post which cited news portal Nanchang News quoting the authorities.
Police in Nanchang have arrested two suspects with one involved in the scam, identified as Wan, confessing he came up with the idea after his bar business had failed.
To make easy money, he started off the illegal business with the help of his cousin and his cousin’s relatives.
Despite a box of 10 sanitary pads costing only 3 or 4 yuan (RM1.80/ RM2.40) to manufacture, they are sold to nationwide distributors for about 5 yuan (RM3.10) and stores in the country would sell it to customers for about 10 yuan (RM6.20).
Authorities have confirmed they were able to seize 40 million yuan (RM24 mil) in sanitary pads from the warehouse and urged consumers to check the packaging before buying, as the colouring of the counterfeits are reportedly slightly darker.
The scam is thought to be the biggest that has taken the social media by storm with tens of thousands of angry Sina Weibo users, especially women, posting under the hashtag #Over10MillionFakeSanitaryTowels and #SanitaryNapkins.
"Could the society please not let us live in such an anxiety, worrying that we could die at any minute?," begged a netizen.
"Why would someone want to hurt me at my most vulnerable?," social media user Sdanler questioned.
"We women are already in pain during our period and you (the suspects) produce fake sanitary towels. You are not human. I suggest they be sentenced to death," another chimed in.
Sumber : Mediahub
