Bengaluru police set to monitor e-commerce giants
Police officials aware of the developments said there have been instances of delivery representatives being involved in drug trafficking in the city
The Bengaluru police has proposed to Karnataka director general of police that they plan to check delivery agents to curb “possible smuggling” of drugs.
At a recent review with the DGP, the Bengaluru Crime Branch proposed discussion with major e-commerce players like Swiggy, Dunzo, and Flipkart to collaborate to curb drug trafficking.
A senior police official said that the e-commerce representatives have been urged to share information about suspicious parcels with local police officials.
The action plan, submitted by the Central Crime Branch (CCB), says that meetings have taken place with representatives of Swiggy, Dunzo, and Flipkart to prevent drug transportation, emphasising the need for information on suspicious parcels.
Police officials aware of the developments said there have been instances of delivery representatives being involved in drug trafficking in the city.
Another senior officer, requesting anonymity, said that Bengaluru police have initiated measures to track down organised drug cartels exploiting e-commerce transport services. The focus is on monitoring suspected delivery agents, guided by intelligence unit information.
Police classify three types of delivery agents involved in drug transportation: those unaware of the contents, those knowingly trafficking drugs, and drug peddlers disguised as delivery agents. The latter poses a serious concern, prompting active efforts to prevent such illicit activities.
According to police officials, delivery executives initially turned to the illegal transportation of liquor during the initial pandemic lockdown, leveraging permissions granted to e-commerce delivery services. Since then, the illegal transportation of narcotics has become an integral part of their illicit business.
There were several instances of delivery boys caught peddling drugs in the past. On May 10, 2023,a delivery executive named Jantu Mondal, a 31-year-old from West Bengal, was arrested. His arrest led to the apprehension of two drug suppliers and the seizure of 5 kg of hashish oil and 4 kg of cannabis valued at ₹5.05 crore in the open market.
On February 2, 2023, three alleged drug peddlers disguised as food-delivery boys were arrested and the police claimed to have recovered LSD strips, MDMA, and ecstasy pills worth ₹30 lakh from them.
In response to these developments, Dattatreya Raju, President of the Delivery Boys Welfare Association, attributes the involvement of delivery boys in illegal activities to the lack of facilities provided by e-commerce companies. He emphasizes the absence of insurance, provident fund, minimum wage, or job security, suggesting these factors contribute to some delivery boys succumbing to offers from customers to transport illegal substances.
“Delivery executive gets ₹20 to ₹30 for a delivery. If he gets an offer to deliver a parcel for a bigger price, he might take it right? The solution for this issue is with the e-commerce companies. If they provide proper facilities to delivery executives, nobody would get into any shady business,” said Dattatreya.
Delivery executive Santosh Patel highlighted the lack of knowledge about parcel contents, making it challenging to identify suspicious items. Another delivery agent, Kamlesh Yadav, echoed this sentiment, emphasising the difficulty of identifying illegal substances within sealed parcels.
So far, CCB sleuths have made 18 arrests in the first year under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985 (NDPS Act), seizing narcotics worth ₹2.35 crore. In 2022 and 2023, CCB recovered narcotics worth ₹3.26 crore and ₹5.89 crore, respectively.
