Acting on a tip-off, the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) seized 95 gold jewellery articles weighing 467.44 grams from a jewellery outlet in Partap Bazar, Chheharta, for alleged violations of hallmarking norms.A team from the BIS Jammu and Kashmir Branch Office conducted the search and seizure operation following information about suspected irregularities in the hallmarking of jewellery offered for sale.Of the seized articles, 91, weighing 447.11 grams, bore incomplete or non-prescribed hallmarking, while the remaining four, weighing 20.33 grams, did not carry the prescribed BIS hallmark.Ashish Dwivedi, Standard Promotion Officer at BIS, said the jewellery in the first category carried the BIS logo and/or purity markings such as “916” but lacked the prescribed Hallmark Unique Identification (HUID) or a complete hallmark.The articles were inventoried and sealed under Section 28 of the Bureau of Indian Standards Act, 2016, he said. He added that the evidence would be examined and further action initiated under the relevant provisions of the Act and applicable regulations.The BIS advised consumers not to rely solely on the BIS logo or purity markings such as “916”, “22K916” and “18K750” as proof of valid hallmarking. Buyers should check the complete hallmark and verify the six-digit alphanumeric HUID using the “Verify HUID” feature on the BIS CARE app.The bureau also clarified that the registration of a jewellery outlet did not mean that every article available there was hallmarked. Registered jewellers were required to ensure that all jewellery offered for sale complied with the prescribed norms.