BIS seizes 100 gold ornaments in Davangere over fake hallmarks
Fake hallmark and HUID marks on more than 100 gold ornaments triggered a BIS seizure in Davangere, and the app check is now the first line of defense.
BIS officials seized more than 100 gold ornaments in Davangere after finding fake hallmark and HUID markings on 22k and 20k pieces, a reminder that the smallest stamp on a bracelet or chain can carry the biggest risk. A counterfeit hallmark can make noncompliant jewellery look certified, while a fake HUID can give a buyer the illusion of traceable purity and a registered seller.
The Bureau of Indian Standards says shoppers can verify hallmarked jewellery through the BIS CARE app before paying for it. The app works with the HUID number, is available in 12 languages and can pull up the jeweller’s registration details. BIS also says the hallmark on compliant jewellery is valid for the lifetime of the piece, which makes the verification step especially important before purchase, not after the bill is paid and the box is sealed.
The Davangere seizure lands in the middle of India’s mandatory hallmarking regime. Press Information Bureau releases say HUID is a unique 6-digit alphanumeric code marked on each gold jewellery article, and that after March 31, 2023, no jeweller may sell gold jewellery without a valid HUID mark. Hallmarking had already been made mandatory in 288 districts by June 2021, and BIS added more districts in later phases, including a sixth phase announced in March 2026. Government figures say more than 40 crore gold jewellery items have now been hallmarked with a unique HUID.
The financial stakes are plain in earlier enforcement actions. In May 2026, BIS reportedly seized gold worth Rs 2.7 crore from two jewellers in Bengaluru. In 2024, officials seized 251.390 grams of hallmarked-looking jewellery worth about Rs 21 lakh after finding spurious hallmark symbols without valid HUIDs. For buyers, the lesson is immediate: check the HUID in the BIS CARE app, confirm the jeweller’s registration details, and do not treat a stamped surface as proof of purity. In a market built on trust, the mark matters only when it is real.
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