Delhi Police Sends Notice to Flipkart Over Mobile Phone Theft Case

The notice to Flipkart came following the arrest of six persons and recovery of stolen mobile phones worth Rs 1 crore

The stolen phones were allegedly sold through Flipkart’s website. (Photo: Reuters)

Delhi Police sent a notice to e-commerce giant Flipkart on Monday following the arrest of six persons and the recovery of stolen high-end mobile phones worth around Rs 1 crore, many of which were allegedly sold through the e-tailer’s website.

The notice, addressed to the CEO of the company, asks the company to join the probe in connection with stolen phones allegedly sold through their website, said DCP (IGI Airport) Dinesh Kumar Gupta.

During investigation, facts emerged that a peculiar modus operandi was adopted by the accused, who sold these mobile phones via Flipkart. As many as 209 phones have been recovered and further investigation is underway.
— Dinesh Kumar Gupta, DCP (IGI Airport)

A Flipkart spokesperson said, “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.”

According to police, a Delhi-based logistics company had reported in July that 600 high-end mobile phones were missing from a shipment sourced from Hong Kong. When the private firm in charge of the cargo terminal and the vigilance unit of Delhi airport failed to trace the missing phones, the matter was reported to police and a case registered.

Six accused – identified as Raju Singh (31), Sunil Jain (40), Gaurav Mittal (44), Jitender Girotra (28), Harender Singh (42) and Ravi (26) – have been arrested in connection with the case and 209 phones have so far been recovered.

A special team was formed by Delhi Police to investigate the case which involved theft of high-end mobile phones worth around Rs 1 crore. The buyers of these phones were traced at Mysore, Mangaluru, Bengaluru, Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Mahasamund, Hyderabad, Jalandhar, Delhi and Chandigarh.