Meta, Amazon, Flipkart fined as govt cracks down on illegal walkie-talkie sales on e-commerce platforms

India’s consumer watchdog has fined Meta Platforms, Amazon and Flipkart after uncovering large-scale illegal sales of walkie-talkies on e-commerce platforms, citing risks to public safety and national security from unauthorised radio devices operating on sensitive frequency bands.

The Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) said on January 16 that it had identified more than 16,900 non-compliant listings of walkie-talkies, also known as Personal Mobile Radios (PMRs), being sold without mandatory approvals and disclosures. 

The regulator imposed penalties of Rs 10 lakh each on Amazon Seller Services, Flipkart Internet and Meta Platforms (which operates Facebook Marketplace), and smaller fines on Meesho, JioMart and several online retailers.

The action follows a suo motu investigation by the authority into what it described as “large-scale illegal listing and sale” of walkie-talkies operating on restricted radio frequencies, including bands used by police, emergency services and disaster-response agencies.

Devices sold on restricted frequencies

According to the CCPA, many of the devices were found to operate in the ultra-high frequency (UHF) range of 400–470 MHz, a regulated spectrum in India, but were marketed online as “license-free” or “100% legal”.

In several cases, the products were sold without disclosing the operating frequency, whether a government licence was required, or whether they had obtained Equipment Type Approval (ETA) from the Department of Telecommunications.

Under Indian law, only walkie-talkies operating strictly within the 446.0–446.2 MHz band are exempt from licensing and even those require ETA certification before they can be imported or sold. Devices operating outside that range cannot be legally sold without prior statutory approvals.

The authority said many listings violated the Consumer Protection Act, 2019 and the Consumer Protection (E-Commerce) Rules, 2020 by misleading consumers and withholding material information.

Penalties across platforms

The CCPA issued notices to 13 platforms, including Amazon, Flipkart, Meesho, JioMart, Meta, IndiaMART and TradeIndia. Final orders have so far been passed against eight entities.

Amazon Seller Services was found to have hosted 467 walkie-talkie listings, most of which did not disclose operating frequencies or telecom certification. The regulator said more than 2,600 units were sold between January 2023 and May 2025.

Flipkart was found to have facilitated the sale of over 100,000 units, including nearly 66,000 devices where the frequency range was either missing or outside the licence-exempt band.

On Facebook Marketplace, the CCPA said hundreds of listings were hosted without regulatory disclosures, leading to the delisting of more than 700 products after the watchdog’s intervention.

Meesho was cited for large-scale sales by multiple sellers without furnishing mandatory licensing or certification details. One seller alone sold more than 2,200 units, according to the regulator.

Smaller penalties of Rs 1 lakh each were imposed on Chimiya, JioMart, Talk Pro and MaskMan Toys.

Platforms not just intermediaries

Several companies argued that they were merely intermediaries and not responsible for third-party sellers. The CCPA rejected that defence, saying platforms that allow the listing, promotion and sale of regulated products must carry out due diligence and regulatory checks.

It has directed all platforms to ensure walkie-talkies and other radio equipment are not listed without government approvals, to conduct regular self-audits and to publish compliance certificates.

Proceedings against Antriksh Technologies, India Mart, TradeIndia, Vardaanmart and Krishna Mart are ongoing.