Case against Amazon for selling counterfeit goods

The police on Monday filed a case against e-commerce seller Amazon for allegedly allowing the sale of counterfeit products on its website

The police on Monday filed a case against e-commerce seller Amazon for allegedly allowing the sale of counterfeit products on its website.

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A private company based in Udyog Vihar has alleged that counterfeit versions of their ayurvedic products were being sold on the portal and despite repeated requests, the product continued to remain on the website. A case under Section 420 (cheating) of Indian Penal Code and Section 63 of Copyright Act was registered against the company at the Udyog Vihar police station on Monday, said police.

Police commissioner KK Rao said that the complainant, Devender Singh, had ordered two ayurvedic products made by his company from Amazon on November 13, 2020. When he received the order five days later, he found that both the products were duplicate. “The products were a copy of his registered products and were sold openly on the Amazon site. The complainant has given us a copy of emails written to Amazon. But even after repeated reminders, neither did they remove the products nor assured him of the needful,” he said.

A spokesperson for Amazon India said, “Our customers expect that when they make a purchase through Amazon’s marketplace they will receive authentic products. Amazon strictly prohibits the sale of counterfeit products and we invest heavily in both funds and company energy to ensure our policy is followed by third party sellers selling on Amazon.in. We investigate any claim of counterfeit thoroughly, including removing the item, permanently removing the bad actor, pursuing legal action as appropriate.”

The police said the complainant tried to contact the toll-free number provided by the company and when he could not get through, he emailed the seller asking for a copy of the invoice, but did not get one.

“When I approached Amazon in January, on its toll-free number to seek clarification, instead of receiving a resolution, the customer care representative abused me. So I reported the matter to the police,” said Singh.

Rao said they have identified the alleged counterfeiter of the products as a resident of Bhopal. A team from Udyog Vihar police station had raided the office in Bhopal on Monday, but could not find the suspect.

A notice has been issued to the suspect to join the investigation, said police.