Madhya Pradesh Police has summoned executives of Amazon.com Inc in connection with a case of marijuana smuggling.
The police are investigating a case where the e-commerce platform was allegedly used for smuggling marijuana.
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According to a report, on Sunday, the police arrested 2 persons in Madhya Pradesh along with marijuana.
Bhind superintendent of police Manoj Kumar Singh said on the basis of secret information, Kallu Pawaiya (30) and Dhaba owner Brijendra Tomar (35) were arrested from Bhind Gwalior Road on Saturday and recovered 20 kg of marijuana.
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The police reportedly found that the arrested persons were using Amazon’s India shopping website to order and smuggle marijuana to various states.
As per the report, the smugglers allegedly used the Amazon India platform to order and deliver marijuana, which is listed under the guise of dry stevia leaves, a natural food sweetener.
So far, the Amazon platform was allegedly used for selling 1,000 kg of marijuana worth 148,000 dollars, the police said in its statement.
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The report quoted the SP Manoj Kumar Singh as saying that Amazon executives have been summoned to explain how their platform could be used for the sale of banned substances.
“The international company has the power of artificial intelligence, so it’s a big thing happening on their platform,” Singh said, adding, “There is involvement of Amazon at many levels in this marijuana delivery – from providing logistical support to delivery.”
“The lawyers from Amazon will probably visit us tomorrow,” the police officer said.
Meanwhile, an Amazon spokesperson in a statement said the company is investigating whether there was any non-compliance by a seller.
The Amazon spokesperson said: “We do not allow the listing and sale of products which are prohibited under law to be sold in India.”
The company spokesperson said they would cooperate with the authorities.
Bhind Superintendent of Police Manoj Kumar Singh said on a tip-off, Kallu Pawaiya (30) and Dhaba owner Brijendra Tomar (35) were arrested from Bhind Gwalior Road on Saturday and recovered 20 kilograms of marijuana.
“Kallu used to source the marijuana from Vishakhapatnam through a reputed international e-commerce firm to Gwalior, Bhopal, Kota, Agra and other areas of the country. Brijendra helped him in the business,” he had said.
Kallu has so far sold one tonne of the contraband and transacted business worth Rs 1.1 crore, the SP had said.