A root said the ED examined documents seized during the searches astatine premises linked to 8 vendors, who person not been named truthful far. (File Photo)
Multiple teams of the Enforcement Directorate Thursday conducted searches astatine 19 premises of vendors selling their products connected e-commerce platforms Amazon and Flipkart. The raids were conducted successful Delhi, Bengaluru, Mumbai, Hyderabad and Panchkula.
An authoritative said ED decided to initiate its probe nether the provisions of the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA) based connected complaints that the e-commerce platforms are violating India’s FDI (foreign nonstop investment) rules by straight oregon indirectly influencing the merchantability terms of goods oregon services and not providing a level playing tract to vendors.
“On the ground of their complaints, ED made aggregate teams and decided to behaviour raids aft coordinating connected Thursday morning,” an authoritative said.
A root said the ED examined documents seized during the searches astatine premises linked to 8 vendors, who person not been named truthful far.
When contacted, an Amazon spokesperson declined to comment, portion Flipkart did not respond to requests for a comment.
Meanwhile, the Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) welcomed the ED action. “The CAIT, on with respective different commercialized bodies, has been raising these issues for the past fewer years,” CAIT caput wide and BJP MP from Delhi Praveen Khandelwal said successful a statement.
He claimed that the Competition Commission of India (CCI) had besides issued punishment notices to the e-commerce platforms and their “preferred” sellers for engaging successful anti-competitive practices that person adversely affected tiny traders and kirana stores.
The CAIT and mainline mobile retailers’ relation AIMRA had besides petitioned the CCI successful the past, seeking contiguous suspension of operations of the platforms, alleging that the companies were engaged successful predatory pricing and burning currency to connection dense discounts connected products.