Cops book e-commerce platforms for selling Ts extolling Bishnoi, Dawood

Mumbai: The Maharashtra cyber police registered an FIR on Thursday against seven e-commerce platforms and several other sellers over the alleged listing and sale of T-shirts bearing objectionable content, including images and quotes intended to glorify notorious criminals such as Lawrence Bishnoi and Dawood Ibrahim. The listings depicted these gangsters as cultural icons.

The platforms under investigation include major e-commerce sites like Flipkart, AliExpress, and marketplaces like TeeShopper and Etsy. One T-shirt, flagged by the police, displayed a quote attributed to Dawood Ibrahim: “Dum awaaz me nahi alfaaz me hona chahiye” (The power lies not in the force of speech, but in the force of words).

Owing to heavy criticism online for listing such merchandise, Meesho, online marketplace, removed the Bishnoi T-shirts from its site and said it remains committed to offering safe shopping experience.

Lawrence Bishnoi, a known gangster, has gained infamy in recent years due to his alleged involvement in the murder of Punjabi singer Sidhu Moose Wala and issuing death threats to Bollywood actor Salman Khan. The recent murder of NCP leader Baba Siddique’s killing was also linked to Bishnoi gang.

Dawood Ibrahim, one of India’s most wanted criminals, is an infamous mobster and founder of the South Asia-based criminal syndicate D-Company.

A cyber police official noted that the platforms allegedly sold T-shirts featuring notorious criminals with slogans and images that could influence young minds negatively.

“Such products, idolising criminal figures, pose a risk by promoting a distorted image that could be harmful to society. We are sending summons to the involved platforms and sellers, and arrests are expected soon,” said the officer.

The cyber department, which serves as the state’s nodal agency for cyber security and cybercrime, actively monitors the digital landscape to prevent content that could incite disorder. Following a vigilance operation, authorities discovered that platforms like Flipkart, AliExpress, TeeShopper, and Etsy were selling apparel that glorified criminal figures.

The FIR was registered under sections 192 (wanton provocation with the intent to incite a riot), 196 (promoting enmity), and 353 (statements conducing to public mischief) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), along with section 67 (punishment for publishing or transmitting obscene material in electronic form) of the IT Act, 2000.

This action underscores the department’s commitment to maintaining safe and responsible online platforms, particularly in light of the potential societal impact of such merchandise.