The police have busted a racket in which 600 new and high-end smart phones, worth Rs. 1 crore, were stolen from IGI Airport and many of them allegedly sold to customers through e-commerce company Flipkart.
The police on Monday said they have sent a notice to concerned officials of Flipkart to obtain requisite information. “We have written to Flipkart’s Indian CEO whose office is located at Ansari Road. We have sought information regarding the buyers and sellers of these phones,” Dinesh Kumar Gupta, DCP (IGI Airport), told The Hindu .
The officer alleged that there could possibly be a “procedural lapse” on part of the company. Responding to the incident, Flipkart issued a statement saying each of their 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,” read a portion of Flipkart’s statement.
Six persons have arrested in connection with the racket and the police have so far recovered 209 of the stolen phones. The 600 phones were stolen from the IGI Airport’s Cargo terminal in July. The consignment had arrived from Hong Kong and was to be delivered in Delhi, said Mr. Gupta.
“During investigations, it emerged that some of the stolen phones were being used in several other States apart from Delhi. The users were contacted and they told the police they had purchased the phones through Flipkart. They presented receipts and bills of purchase as evidence,” said the officer.
Further investigations led to the arrest of one Raju Singh who was scouting for customers of stolen phones in Rajasthan. He revealed the role of one Narender as the mastermind. Narender who drives vehicles plying at the cargo terminal continues to remain at large.
More arrests were subsequently made and police finally reached one Raunak, who the police said is an agent of several e-commerce companies, including Flipkart. The police alleged some of the arrested men had sold the stolen mobile phones to Flipkart.
