SINGAPORE - They were seemingly innocuous toys - water bottles, bags and accessories featuring popular superhero and comic characters such as Batman, Captain America, Spider-Man, Superman, Transformers, Barney, Care Bears and Hello Kitty.

The problem was they were all fake.

In a release on Thursday, Singapore Customs said the boxes of trademark infringing goods were found when they intercepted a 40-foot (12m) container that arrived here from Shenzhen, China, on May 20.

The goods belonged to an importer who had planned to distribute them to shops around Singapore, said Customs.

When the container was unsealed and inspected by Customs enforcement officers at the importer's premises at Playfair Road the next day on May 21, 159 cartons and nine sacks containing an assortment of the trademark infringing goods were found.

A further search of the importer's office uncovered more such products, and police subsequently arrested a man and a woman for possession of goods with falsely applied trademarks for the purpose of trade, and seized the items.

Investigations are ongoing.

Anyone with specific information on illegal trading activities can report it to Singapore Customs via email at customs_intelligence@customs.gov.sg. All information received will be treated in strict confidence.