Flipkart scam: Four delivery hub staff booked for swindling Rs 1.61 crore in phones

KOCHI: Flipkart has reported a major fraud in which delivery staff allegedly siphoned off 332 mobile phones worth Rs 1.61 crore. The scam involved booking high-value phones on the platform using fake addresses and then falsely marking the items as “lost” after taking possession. The stolen devices include premium Apple iPhones and Samsung Galaxy models, which police suspect were later resold.

Following a complaint from Flipkart, the Ernakulam Rural Cyber Police have registered a case against four delivery hub supervisors of Instacart Services, the company handling Flipkart’s deliveries in the region. The accused have been identified as Siddique K. Aaliyar, Jasim Dileep, P. A. Harris, and Mahin Noushad. They were in charge of hubs at Kanjoor, Kuruppampady, Mekkad, and Muvattupuzha.

The fraud came to light after a Flipkart enforcement officer in Coimbatore’s Ettaiyarpalayam Park Town discovered that the “lost” phones had in fact reached the hubs. Enforcement Officer Shaktivel Brahmalingam then filed a police complaint.

The accused are currently absconding. They have been booked under charges of cheating, breach of trust, impersonation, and relevant sections of the IT Act. The investigation, led by Cyber Police Inspector V. Jagadeesh, is ongoing.