The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) has carried out search and seizure operations at multiple warehouse locations of leading e-commerce platforms, including Amazon and Flipkart. According to a release issued by the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution, the searches were conducted in cities like Lucknow, Gurugram and Delhi to curb the distribution of non-compliant products through e-commerce platforms.

In a recent raid conducted on March 7, 2025 at an Amazon warehouse in Lucknow, BIS seized 215 toys and 24 hand blenders, all lacking mandatory BIS certification.

The release further added that earlier, in February 2025, a similar operation at an Amazon warehouse in Gurugram resulted in the seizure of 58 aluminium foils, 34 metallic water bottles, 25 toys, 20 hand blenders, 7 PVC cables, 2 food mixers and 1 speaker – all found to be non-certified.

A raid was also conducted at a Flipkart warehouse in Gurugram, operated by Instakart Services Pvt Ltd. The agency seized 534 stainless steel bottles (vacuum insulated), 134 toys and 41 speakers, that were not certified.

The ministry has informed that BIS’s investigations into multiple violations on both Amazon and Flipkart traced non-certified products back to Techvision International Pvt Ltd.

Acting on this lead, BIS conducted raids at two different facilities of Techvision International in Delhi, uncovering approximately 7,000 electric water heaters, 4,000 electric food mixers, 95 electric room heaters, and 40 gas stoves, without BIS certification. Non-certified products seized include brands like Digismart, Activa, Inalsa, Cello Swift, Butterfly among others, it said.

Following the seizure of material, BIS initiated legal action under BIS Act, 2016 to hold the responsible entities accountable.

“BIS has already filed two court cases against M/s Techvision International Pvt Ltd for violations of Sections 17(1) and 17(3) of the BIS Act, 2016. Additional cases are in the process of being filed for other seizure operations. Under Section 17 of the BIS Act, 2016, defaulters face a penalty not less than two lakh rupees, which may extend up to ten times the value of the goods sold or offered for sale. Furthermore, depending on the severity of the violation, offenders may also face imprisonment of up to two years,” the Ministry stated in the release.

The government stated that the BIS is actively conducting market surveillance to ensure that consumer products, including those sold on e-commerce platforms, meet the required safety and quality standards. “As part of this surveillance, BIS purchases various consumer products and subjects them to rigorous testing to verify compliance with the prescribed standards,” it further added.