Reacting to a notice issued by the Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) about the “easy availability” of acid on its platform in connection with the attack on a 17-year-old girl in Delhi, a Flipkart spokesperson said on Thursday that the seller in question has been “blacklisted”. Earlier in the day, the commission had issued a notice to the CEOs of Amazon and Flipkart highlighting the “illegal” availability of acid on e-commerce platforms and said it “needs to be urgently checked”.
A Flipkart spokesperson that the company condemns the incident and is providing all possible support to police investigators. “We strongly condemn this unfortunate incident and our thoughts and prayers are with the victim and her family. Flipkart’s marketplace platform carefully monitors and removes products that violate expected standards. Strict action is being taken against sellers who are found to be engaged in the sale of illegal, dangerous and prohibited products,” the spokeswoman said.
DCW rapped on both Amazon and Flipkart seeking answers as to why acid was available on their platforms. The commission has also asked for a copy of the license to sell acid online and the same for the policy adopted by the firms in selling government-regulated items. The DCW further asked in its notice whether photo IDs were required of acid buyers. The panel’s announcement came after the Delhi Police said on Wednesday that their investigation team had found electronic evidence that the acid used in the attack was obtained from an online platform.
The acid incident on a Class 12 girl on Wednesday morning created a stir and the National Commission for Women (NCW) also stepped in and wrote to the Delhi Police for the same. A 17-year-old girl was handcuffed by two men on a bicycle on Wednesday morning while she was on her way to school with her younger sister. The incident, which happened while she was standing on the road near Dwarka Metro station in southwest Delhi, was caught on CCTV. One man was initially detained based on suspicions raised by the girl against two people she knew. Another man later emerged as the prime suspect and three men were arrested on Wednesday night.
The girl was taken to Safdarjung Hospital, where the doctor said she had suffered 7-8% burns on her face and eyes. However, it was later reported that his life was out of danger. According to a latest report by news agency PTI, the girl’s uncle said she was “also seeing and talking”. “The doctors at the hospital said the burns on the face will heal but it will take some time,” he said. The police initially struggled to find out the reason for the attack, but later it was reported that the main accused – Sachin – lives in the same neighborhood as the girl. Special Commissioner of Police Sagar Preet Hooda told that he started stalking the girl after she refused to talk about his practices three months ago.
The SP added that Sachin was the one who ordered the acid from Flipkart and was on a bike with his friend (Harshit Aggrawal) when he attacked the girl. His friends Honey (19) and Virender Singh alias Sonu (22) are also suspects in the case.
Read Now :<strong>Forest department busted a racket involved in wild boar smuggling from Rajasthan</strong>
