In a shocking investigation, Hindustan Times has revealed that military-grade equipment which are banned for sale to civilians are available online in India. These essential warfare items which are put on sale are mandated by law as “restricted” items, and can be used only by the armed forces, police and government agencies.
These are the merchandise put on sale by Amazon India:
Night vision telescopic sights for rifles:
One of the devices for sale is the PVS-14 American monocular device which was used by terrorists when they attacked Dinanagar police station in Punjab’s Gurdaspur in July 2015. Even the Maoist rebels use this device.
- Helmet-mounted night vision goggles
- Monocular sights that help in precision shooting even in darkness.
As per rules, civilians possessing or trading in night vision devices (NVDs) without Union home ministry permission can be prosecuted.
But unawares, Amazon offers them for prices ranging from Rs 14,190 to Rs 296,000 and also an EMI option is available for the devices. While this has shocked defence personnel across India, Amazon India has launched an investigation into the matter and promised to take it up with the concerned sellers.
One of the sellers told HT, “Yes, we import night vision binoculars but to buy one you will need permission from the home ministry. We cannot sell these to civilians without authorisation from the government.”