Delhi: FIR Against Blinkit After Illegal Button Knives Sold Online Were Used In 2 Murders

Delhi Police have registered an FIR under the Arms Act after allegedly discovering that Blinkit - a quick-commerce platform was selling prohibited knives online.

Delhi Police have registered an FIR under the Arms Act after allegedly discovering that Blinkit - a quick-commerce platform was selling banned knives online. Two recent murder incidents in the Khyala area of west Delhi were allegedly linked to knives purchased through online platforms. Police began scrutinising various e-commerce and quick-delivery platforms offering knives for sale.

To verify, a constable, on February 13 at 3.43 pm, placed an order for a knife worth Rs 710 through the platform. The delivery address was deliberately listed as the second floor of the police station itself. The knife was delivered at around 4.05 pm the same day, right inside the police premises.

“During the checking of online platforms selling knives, it was found that a quick-commerce platform was selling prohibited knives online,” a police officer said.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (West) Darade Sharad Bhaskar confirmed that the order was part of an official verification exercise. “The knife that was delivered was found to be ‘gararidar’ (manually opened and closed) and exceeded the maximum permitted blade length of 7.62 cm and maximum permitted blade width of 1.72 cm. The knife had a blade length of 8 cm and a width of 2.5 cm. Hence, it was an illegal arm in violation of the government notification,” the DCP said.

The complainant reported that the knife featured a steel blade and a black metal handle fitted with a steel strip mechanism. Pressing the strip enabled the blade to open and close, while a button mechanism between the blade and handle facilitated smooth operation, making it a fully functional prohibited weapon under the law.

The tax invoice reportedly listed the seller as the online platform itself, with an address in Tihar village, west Delhi.

Based on the findings, police registered a case under Sections 25, 54 and 59 of the Arms Act.

On February 15, during follow-up raids, police recovered 16 knives from various dark stores and outlets linked to the platform across Delhi. The next day, another major seizure took place at the platform’s warehouse in Farrukhnagar, Gurgaon (Haryana), where 32 more illegal knives were recovered.

In total, 50 prohibited knives have been seized so far in connection with the case.

Police have confirmed that further investigation is underway to identify those responsible for the procurement, storage and sale of the prohibited weapons.

Meanwhile, a response was sought from the platform.