Snapdeal sells illegal weapons, lands buyers in prison

In a shocking incident, the Hyderabad Task Force on Tuesday detained 12 people over purchasing of arms, including swords and blades from Snapdeal.

The accused had shared their pictures with these weapons on Facebook and WhatsApp to intentionally create panic among the people. After getting a tip-off, the police started an investigation and found that some e-commerce companies were involved in selling illegal arms.

After finding reliable evidence, police approached the portals and obtained data of people who had purchased the arms.

The police then raided their houses and arrested 12 people related to the illegal procurement of arms. The police seized illegal arms, including 10 swords, two daggers and a knife from their possession, reports ET.

The police claimed that some accused have criminal records and they purchased arms to intimidate enemies. They have also recommended action against the representative of concerned e-marketing portal for selling illegal arms.

Hyderabad Task Force Police has started a crackdown across the state against acquiring illegal weapons.

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Following the incident, the investigators have also instructed the e-commerce platforms such as Snapdeal, Amazon, and Flipkart not to sell illegal sharp-edged weapons. They too advised people not buy such weapons online or use social networking sites for sharing such violent posts.

Earlier, e-commerce companies have faced criticisms over its no-control policy on products available on their platforms.

Last year, an FIR has also filed against two US-based online companies for selling shoes and beer bottles with images associated with Hindu religion. Global e-tailer Amazon had also faced a similar furore for selling doormats with images of Hindu gods.

Following the fierce reaction in India and abroad, India's Minister of External Affairs, Sushma Swaraj had threatened visa embargo for Amazon officials after learning about products disrespecting Indian flag. Amazon later withdrew such sales from its website.