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 when she brings back drawerfuls of Chloe sunglasses, Gas jeans and Louis Vuitton bags and what have you! All scoured from the streets there, mind you. But you should see her flaunting them as originals here. The guys drool over her as if she were a diva!" Ask her if fakes doth a cheater make? And she says, "It is absolutely true in this girl's case."

But, it's not just college kids and 20-somethings who fish for rip-offs: a shopkeeper in Sarojini Nagar discloses that "a few VIP customers" drop by regularly, hoping to make a killing. Taking no names, he says, "I think they can afford the original stuff, but why would anybody shell out a small fortune when I can give them just what they want for one-tenth the price? There are still some who visit places like Bangkok, but then why travel so far just to get hold of a naqli bag when I can give them the same?" Point taken. But quiz him about whether this might give rise to a generation of cheaters and he says, "We get cheated all the time by our politicians anyway. Throw in some more 'fakers' - who's keeping count? At least hum jaise dukandaro ka to bhala ho jata hai is chakkar mein."

Socialite Tanisha Mohan says she can immediately recognize if someone is flaunting a fake. "But over the years, the fakes are getting amazingly better. Yet one can make out. For instance, a bag that is worth Rs 5 lakhs approx - if bought in large numbers by someone at one go, you do get an idea that it must be a fake, especially when you know who can afford it and who can't."

In any lunch party, it's easy to find at least 5-7 per cent people sporting fakes. The most commonly flaunted fakes are Birkin, Louis Vutton and Chanel. "A fake is just so luring that people can't help it. It's irritating for them to know what they usually buy in lakhs is available in thousands, and even looks so fantastic. But that doesn't make you a cheater. Buying a fake simply shows an aspiration to own what they can'

 When Vithika Pandit walks into her college campus strutting her stuff - her D&G clutch, Prada shades and Rolex watch, to be specific - all eyes are on her. Compliment her on her impeccable taste and she gladly acknowledges it. It's only when you probe her that she comes out with a confession (and a mischievous smile), "These are knock-offs! I picked up all of these from flea markets and if want to know the pocket pinch, well, I didn't even cough up Rs 5,000 for the whole loot. Do you think I could afford to flaunt original ones?"

Try telling her that flaunting fake brands can turn one into a dishonest, cynical person - at least that's what a study conducted by scientists from Harvard, Duke and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, would have us believe. "Big deal," is her retort. "Everybody does it. This is the closest that we can get to high-end brands and if in the process, I'm labelled a cheat, I don't mind it."

A trip to streetside stalls in Connaught Place and Sarojini Market hints that Vithika is in good company. Thronged by teenagers and 20-somethings, this business of knock-offs is a burgeoning one. Sandeep Singh is one of those who keep it thriving. With a whole collection of handpicked fake Ed Hardy tees and a Hi-Phone, a poor cousin of the iPhone, Sandeep candidly admits, "I want to look cool without spending a fortune on clothes and gadgets. Girls love them and that's all that matters. So, does that make me a cheat?"

A hard-running Vancouver police officer caught up with a fleeing suspect in the McLoughlin Heights area about 7 p.m. Friday after the man reportedly assaulted people at PeaceHealth Southwest Medical Center, where he was in custody on a mental-health hold.

The officer was breathing heavily as he ran and yelled his positions into his radio. That came over police scanners monitored at The Columbian, beginning about 6:54 p.m.

Several officers in cars took positions around the area.

About 7 p.m., officers yelled that theyd tackled the man at Southeast Seventh and Northgate avenues, several blocks southeast of the medical center on Mill Plain Boulevard.

Fire damages house used as office space