Delhi Police books Blinkit for selling 'illegal' knives used to carry out 2 murders

In total, 50 knives have been confiscated in connection with the case. (AI-generated image)

Delhi Police have registered a First Information Report (FIR) under the Arms Act after alleging that a quick-commerce platform was offering prohibited knives for sale through its online marketplace.

The complaint was filed by a constable attached to Khyala police station in west Delhi. According to the complaint, two recent homicide cases in the Khyala locality were allegedly carried out using knives purchased via online platforms. Following those incidents, officers began examining e-commerce and rapid-delivery services listing knives for sale, The Times of India reported.

As part of this verification exercise, the constable placed an order for a knife on February 13 at 3.43 pm, paying Rs 710 through an online transaction. The delivery address was intentionally provided as the second floor of the police station. The item was delivered at approximately 4.05pm the same day within the station premises.

A police officer involved in the inquiry said: “During the checking of online platforms selling knives, it was found that a quick-commerce platform was selling prohibited knives online.”

Deputy Commissioner of Police (West) Darade Sharad Bhaskar stated that the order had been placed through Blinkit to determine whether the product complied with statutory requirements. He told the outlet: “The knife that was delivered was found to be ‘gararidar’ (manually opened and closed) and exceeded the maximum permitted blade length of 7.62 cm and maximum permitted blade width of 1.72 cm.”

He added: “The knife had a blade length of 8 cm and a width of 2.5 cm. Hence, it was an illegal arm in violation of the government notification.”

According to the complaint, the seized item had a steel blade and a black metal handle fitted with a steel strip mechanism. Pressing the strip enabled the blade to open and shut, and there was a button mechanism between the blade and the handle that assisted its functioning.

The tax invoice for the purchase reportedly identified the seller as the online platform, with an address in Tihar village, west Delhi.

On the basis of these findings, a case was registered under Sections 25, 54 and 59 of the Arms Act.

During follow-up operations, police recovered 16 knives from multiple dark stores and other outlets linked to the platform across Delhi. Raids continued the next day, resulting in the seizure of 32 additional knives from a warehouse operated by the platform in Farrukhnagar, Gurgaon, Haryana.

In total, 50 knives have been confiscated in connection with the case. Police stated that further inquiries are ongoing to determine responsibility for the sourcing, storage and distribution of the prohibited weapons.

No official response has been issued by the platform as yet.