Flipkart said that strict action will be taken against those who were involved in the act. (Source: PTI)

India’s largest e-commerce marketplace Flipkart allegedly suffered a fraud of Rs 1.56 crore in less than 24 months between January 2016 and November 2017. According to a complaint filed with the cyber crime police against unknown persons by Murthy SN, nodal officer, Flipkart Internet Pvt Ltd , the company had sustained these loses between January 1, 2016, and November 3, 2017. The customers reportedly placed orders for costly gadgets, especially smartphones and cameras, and later approached Flipkart’s customer care within the stipulated period with complaints on delivery.

These customers asked for refunds by claiming that they had received stones and mud instead of the items ordered. Some of them even took photographs of the stones and mud and emailed them to the company as proof.

Initially, Flipkart paid these customers without much verification but as the number of cases increased, the suspicion grew. On further investigation, the company found out that certain bank accounts had received multiple refunds.

A Flipkart spokesperson told FinancialExpress.com that as the company has the most customer-friendly refund policy across the industry, some people tried to defraud it by claiming wrongful deliveries. “Flipkart’s return policy is the most customer-friendly across the industry. It is hassle-free, seamless and quick, and millions of customers have benefited from it. A few, however, have tried to defraud Flipkart by claiming wrongful deliveries,” he said.

Flipkart, which recently signed a deal with Walmart, has vowed that it will act against the perpetrators of the crime, regardless of whether its origin is sellers or customers. It said that strict action will be taken against those who were involved in the act.

“We have a zero tolerance policy on all incidents of fraud, whatever be its source of origin — sellers, customers or internal. We take such violations very seriously and initiate strict action against the concerned people or entity as per applicable laws of the land,” the spokesperson added.

The company, however, has not shared the details of the items that were placed for the refund. It also didn’t mention the product segment that is highly vulnerable.