Delhi: Five held for smuggling illegal knives from China, selling them online - The Indian Express

Summary

Five men have been arrested for allegedly smuggling illegal knives from China and selling them in India on e-commerce websites, the Delhi police said on Wednesday. A total of 14,053 button-activated knives were seized from their possession and in the last one year, they have sold around 5,000 knives in India, police added.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (South District) Benita Mary Jaiker said that on July 18, police got a call regarding a courier package lying on the road. “When they analysed the CCTV footage, it was revealed that the box had fallen from the motorcycle of a delivery boy. Each knife was in a packet with the details of the sender – Mohammad Sahil from Delhi’s Malviya Nagar. A raid was conducted at his warehouse in the south Delhi locality and Sahil (28) and his employee Wasim (18) were apprehended,” Jaiker said. A total of 533 button-actuated knives were allegedly seized from their possession.

Five men have been arrested for allegedly smuggling illegal knives from China and selling them in India on e-commerce websites, the Delhi police said on Wednesday. A total of 14,053 button-activated knives were seized from their possession and in the last one year, they have sold around 5,000 knives in India, police added.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (South District) Benita Mary Jaiker said that on July 18, police got a call regarding a courier package lying on the road. “When they analysed the CCTV footage, it was revealed that the box had fallen from the motorcycle of a delivery boy. Each knife was in a packet with the details of the sender – Mohammad Sahil from Delhi’s Malviya Nagar. A raid was conducted at his warehouse in the south Delhi locality and Sahil (28) and his employee Wasim (18) were apprehended,” Jaiker said. A total of 533 button-actuated knives were allegedly seized from their possession.

During questioning, Sahil allegedly told the police that he sold the knives online. “He was helped by one Yusuf (29), who used to buy the knives from Ashish Chawla (43) in Sadar Bazar and transport them to Sahil’s warehouse. Yusuf was arrested. Later, Chawla was also arrested and another 13,440 button-activated knives were seized from his godown in Sadar Bazar,” Jaiker said.

Police said Chawla disclosed that he used to place orders for the knives and the payment was made by Mayank Babbar (32), an importer who has an office in China. “Babbar would misrepresent the consignment as kitchen knives to avoid getting caught by the customs department. Babbar too has been arrested,” a senior police officer said.

“The investigation will now focus on the lapses, if any, on the part of regulatory and facilitating authorities like Customs, Directorate General of Foreign Trade and the abettors of the crime, including e-commerce websites where the knives were being sold. We are also looking at the possibility of involvement of Chinese state actors who might be in collusion with the arrested Indians into pushing the contraband, and to find out what else has been pushed into India under camouflaged names and titles,” she said.