Chennai: The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) has seized 803.99 grams of non-hallmarked gold jewellery from a jewellery shop in Ambattur, Chennai, during an enforcement operation, officials said.
The seizure was carried out by the BIS Chennai Branch Office on September 1, 2026, after the team found gold jewellery being displayed for commercial sale without the mandatory hallmark.
The action was taken under Section 28 of the Bureau of Indian Standards Act, 2016. The seized articles have been confiscated and will be subject to further investigation and legal proceedings.
According to BIS, the seized jewellery included 175 mangalsutras (thalis) weighing 671.50 grams, 12 children’s bangles weighing 25.02 grams, 40 earrings weighing 86.14 grams and 10 pendants weighing 21.33 grams.
The enforcement team found the jewellery in different designs and categories being offered for sale without the required hallmarking.
The operation was conducted by officials and support staff of the BIS Chennai Branch Office with assistance from local police.
BIS Chennai Branch Office head S.D. Dayanand said the bureau regularly conducts market surveillance and enforcement drives to ensure compliance with mandatory certification and hallmarking requirements.
Such action is aimed at preventing the sale of substandard products, checking misuse of the BIS Standard Mark and Hallmark, and maintaining consumer confidence in the certification system, he said.
Hallmarking provides an official indication of the purity or fineness of precious-metal articles. Under the current system, hallmarked gold jewellery carries the BIS logo, purity/fineness and a six-digit Hallmark Unique Identification (HUID) number.
Consumers can verify the HUID of hallmarked jewellery through the BIS CARE app, officials said.
BIS said appropriate legal action is being initiated against the concerned persons under the Bureau of Indian Standards Act, 2016.
The latest enforcement action comes as the standards body continues market surveillance to ensure that jewellery sold to consumers complies with mandatory hallmarking requirements.