New Delhi: Flipkart on Thursday condemned the acid attack on a 17-year-old girl in west Delhi and said it has blacklisted the seller from its platform and is extending all support to the probe agencies.
Earlier in the day, the Delhi Commission for Women issued notices to two e-commerce firms for allegedly allowing sale of acid on their platform.
The Delhi Police had also issued a notice to Flipkart after it found that the acid was procured from the e-commerce firm.
Two masked men on a bike flung acid on the teen minutes after she left her home for school on Wednesday, leaving her with serious injuries.
As outrage spread over the attack, many also raised questions over the availability of acid in markets despite a ban.
The police have arrested three men and found that the main accused, Sachin Arora had procured the acid on Flipkart.
“We strongly condemn this unfortunate incident, and our thoughts and prayers are with the victim and her family. The Flipkart marketplace platform closely monitors and delists products that violate expected standards.
“Strict action is taken against sellers who are found to be engaged in selling products that are illegal, unsafe, and prohibited. The concerned seller has been blacklisted, and we are extending all support to the concerned authorities in their investigation,” Flipkart said in a statement.
The DCW said it has learnt that acid is easily available on leading online shopping platforms such as ‘Amazon’ and ‘Flipkart’ which is illegal.
“The ease of availability of acid on online platforms is a matter of grave concern and needs to be checked urgently,” it said.
The panel has issued notices to Flipkart and Amazon seeking explanation in the matter.
“The commission has sought reasons for availability of acid on the e-commerce platform along with details of sellers who have placed ‘acid’ as a product on their platform.
The panel has also asked whether license of the seller was checked before posting the acid product on the online platform. It has also sought a copy of the license obtained by the platforms for selling acid online,” the statement added.
The panel has asked whether the photo ids of those purchasing acid online were sought.
The DCW has also sought a complete list of the purchasers along with their photo ids.
“The Commission has also sought a copy of the policy adopted by the platform regarding sale of government regulated products online,” it added.
DCW also asked the portals details of steps taken for removing restricted items, including acid from the online portal. The portals have been asked to furnish the information by December 20.
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