Six men were arrested by the Delhi Police, for stealing a consignment of smartphones from Delhi airport's cargo warehouse, and selling it off all over the country.
However, at least 140 of these phones were allegedly sold on e-commerce site Flipkart. The police have since issued a notice to the website.
The victim, Dhananjay Pratap of SVS Logistics Company, had registered an FIR in July, claiming that 600 HTC mobile phones were missing from his consignment when he had gone to collect them from the terminal, a report in the Times of India adds.
"We first analyzed all CCTV camera footage overseeing the cargo hub, though we found nothing useful. Technical surveillance of all phones through their IMEI 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,” DCP (IGI Airport) Dinesh Kumar told The Indian Express.
The phones were reportedly sold on Flipkart through a website's agent in Rajasthan. However, responding to the notice, the company said it will extend full cooperation.
"Flipkart is a digital marketplace that helps sellers connect with customers across the country .Each one of our 40,000 plus sellers are mandated to adhere to stringent guidelines. Any violation of this code of conduct is taken seriously. We enforce a strict zero tolerance policy against unscrupulous sellers who sell products that are fake, stolen or in violation of any law of the land," a Flipkart spokesperson said in a statement.
The police have asked the Flipkart customers to return all the stolen phones to them, while the company will refund the cost.