Bought a Lawrence Bishnoi, Dawood Ibrahim T-shirt online? Cops to come after you

The Maharashtra State Cyber Department, under the office of the special inspector general of police, has registered an FIR against sellers and e-commerce platforms, including Flipkart, AliExpress, TeeShopper and Etsy, for promoting T-shirts glorifying notorious gangsters Lawrence Bishnoi and Dawood Ibrahim. Officials have stated that they have written to all the platforms concerned, seeking details of the customers who purchased these T-shirts and plan to seize all sold merchandise to conduct a thorough investigation.

An officer from the Cyber Department added, "We are going to verify the background of all individuals [who purchased the T-shirts] because glorifying gangsters is an offence, and who knows if these people are somehow connected to them and may be working for them."

Sanjay Shintre, SP, Maharashtra State Cyber Department

Officials further noted that some of the platforms' servers are based in India, while others are located abroad, including in Ireland and the USA.

"In monitoring the digital landscape for content that may threaten law and order, Maharashtra Cyber flagged these products as harmful to society," said Sanjay Shintre, SP, Maharashtra Cyber.

"We are concerned that glorifying criminal figures through apparel could distort young people's perceptions, potentially normalising crime and violence," he added.

Maharashtra Cyber has taken serious cognisance of this issue and, in response, has registered an FIR under Sections 3, 192, 196 and 353 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, and the IT Act, 2000, against the sellers responsible for listing these objectionable products, as well as the platforms that hosted these listings, including Flipkart, AliExpress, TeeShopper and Etsy.

"This action reflects Maharashtra Cyber's commitment to maintaining a safe digital environment and preventing content that could destabilise," the Maharashtra State Cyber Department said in a statement.