A notice was sent to Flipkart and addressed to the CEO by Delhi Police. The notice asked them to join a probe into the sale of hundreds of mobile phones stolen by agents registered with the e-tailer. The Indian Express reported that it came following the arrest of six persons and recovery of stolen high-end mobile phones worth around Rs 1 crore, according to the sources.
The sources also added that the police recovered 209 of the 600 mobile phones stolen from a cargo hub at Indira Gandhi International Airport. The accused were identified as Raju Singh (31), Sunil Jain (40), Gaurav Mittal (44), Jitender Girotra (28), Harender Singh (42) and Ravi (26).
According to the police, they had received a complaint from SVS Logistics company that 600 of their shipment of 1500 HTC mobile phones shipped from Hong Kong were stolen on July 11. The shipment was to be delivered to NPS Telecom Private Limited in Okhla. It has been suspected that the theft occurred when an SVS Logistics agent was away trying to arrange a cargo vehicle to transport the consignment. DCP (IGI Airport) Dinesh Kumar said,
Police began investigating the case after forming a team. We first analysed all CCTV camera footage overseeing the cargo hub, though we found nothing useful. Technical surveillance of all phones through their IMEI (International Mobile Station Equipment Identity) number revealed they were in use in various places including Mysore, Bengaluru, Mumbai, Delhi and Chandigarh. We questioned the end-users and were told by all of them they had purchased the mobile phones from Flipkart. They also produced receipts of their purchases.
On the basis of secret information, Raju Singh was arrested while scouting for customers for the stolen phones. One stolen phone was recovered from him. Singh revealed that Narender, the driver of a vehicle plying at the Cargo Terminal at IGI, was the mastermind. Despite several raids, police have not managed to find him. DCP Kumar added,
Narender stole the phones and supplied them to different dealers in Karol Bagh, Gaffar Market and Mahipalpur. We arrested one Harinder Singh who runs a mobile shop. Police recovered 128 phones from him. He was caught selling stolen phones supplied to him by Narender. The dealers in these markets supplied the phones to dealers in Bangalore and Rajasthan.
We have served notices to Flipkart to obtain the requisite information because all the phones tracked so far seemed to be purchased by customers of Flipkart. We have not served notices on any other e-shopping site. We will also ask all Flipkart customers using the stolen phones to return them and the money will be likewise refunded by Flipkart,”
Along with Delhi, the trail also leads to Bhilwara in Rajasthan, sources said. A Flipkart spokesperson was quoted by PTI saying,
Flipkart is a digital marketplace that helps sellers connect with customers across the country. Each and every one of our 40,000-plus sellers are mandated to adhere to stringent guidelines. Any exception to, or violation of this code of conduct is taken very seriously. We enforce a strict policy of zero tolerance against unscrupulous sellers who sell products that are fake, stolen, or in violation of any applicable law of the land.
News information sourced from The Indian Express
