Delhi Police cracks down on online sale of large knives

Delhi Police has launched a crackdown on online delivery platforms for allegedly selling large knives that violate government-prescribed specifications, an official said on Wednesday. The police initiated the action after finding that perpetrators of at least two recent incidents of stabbing had procured knives online.

A case has been registered at the Khyala police station under Sections 25, 54, and 59 of the Arms Act, the official said. According to the police, 50 large knives have been recovered so far from the warehouses of online platforms.

During routine monitoring, it was noticed that an online platform was offering such knives for sale. During verification, police found that a ‘Stanley knife’ could be ordered through the delivery platform. As part of the probe, police personnel placed an order and examined the product after delivery.

The knife was found to be ‘gararidar (manually opened and closed)’ and exceeded the maximum permissible blade length of 7.62 cm and width of 1.72 cm, as prescribed under a government notification. The seized knife measured 8 cm in length and 2.5 cm in width, making it an illegal weapon under the law, the official said.

Following registration of the case, further investigation led to the recovery of 16 knives from various warehouses of the platform across Delhi on February 15. The next day, 32 more illegal knives were seized from the company’s warehouse in Farrukhnagar, Gurugram, Haryana.

So far, 50 knives have been recovered, the police said, adding that further investigation is under way. “The recovered knives have not been used as weapons in any incidents but offering these knives that are beyond the prescribed dimensions for sale itself is a crime,” a senior police official said.