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By:

Bhaskar Nath Biswal

13 May 2026 at 8:30:30 pm

E-Commerce’s Hidden Threat

The modern Indian marketplace no longer echoes exclusively with the chaotic bustle of traditional bazaars. Instead, it thrives within the silent, instantaneous clicks of smartphone screens. From monthly groceries to high-end electronics, digital retail has fundamentally altered how households across the country consume goods. This transition has undoubtedly unleashed unprecedented convenience, democratizing access to products for millions living outside metro cities. However, this...

E-Commerce’s Hidden Threat

The modern Indian marketplace no longer echoes exclusively with the chaotic bustle of traditional bazaars. Instead, it thrives within the silent, instantaneous clicks of smartphone screens. From monthly groceries to high-end electronics, digital retail has fundamentally altered how households across the country consume goods. This transition has undoubtedly unleashed unprecedented convenience, democratizing access to products for millions living outside metro cities. However, this hyper-connected landscape has also exposed a deeply troubling reality. As digital storefronts expand, so does the shadowy ecosystem of cybercriminals eager to exploit the trust and vulnerabilities of unsuspecting shoppers. The digital transaction, once celebrated as a triumph of modern engineering, is increasingly fraught with unseen hazards. Protecting consumers from e-shopping fraud has now become an urgent national imperative. Fraud Surge The sheer scale of India’s e-commerce revolution provides vital context for why online shopping has become such a high-stakes arena. Recent market estimates indicate that India’s e-commerce economy has surged well beyond $140 billion, driven by over 300 million active digital shoppers. Projections show this user base rapidly swelling toward 400 million, largely fuelled by deep internet penetration, affordable smart phones and seamless payment infrastructure like the Unified Payments Interface across Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities. Yet, this remarkable surge in commercial volume has been mirrored by an equally dramatic escalation in cybercrime statistics. Official records from the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal reveal that citizens have filed over 3.8 million cyber fraud complaints, representing staggering financial losses exceeding Rs. 36,000 crore, with a significant portion stemming from fraudulent online retail schemes. Perhaps most alarming is the historical recovery rate, where less than one percent of stolen funds is successfully returned to victims once transactions cross cyber borders. Despite the pervasive presence of online threats, digital consumers frequently fall into predictable traps that expose them to severe risk. A primary misstep is the failure to maintain basic password hygiene, with millions of shoppers reusing weak or identical passwords across multiple e-commerce platforms and email accounts, enabling attackers to execute swift cascading breaches. Furthermore, shoppers frequently bypass critical verification steps in pursuit of speed, such as failing to verify whether a website domain uses secure, encrypted connections before typing in card credentials. Another widespread oversight is performing financial transactions over unsecured public Wi-Fi networks in cafes or transport hubs, which allows bad actors to intercept sensitive data packets in transit. Many consumers also neglect regular software updates on their smartphones, leaving unpatched security vulnerabilities wide open to malware. Above all, emotional urgency remains the greatest weakness. Impulsive buyers frequently ignore glaring red flags, such as suspicious payment requests or unverified seller profiles. Decoding Scams Recognizing that awareness is the frontline of defence, key industry players and digital safety advocates have begun taking structured action. A prominent example is the consumer handbook, ‘Your Guide to Safe Online Shopping’, developed by Safer Internet India and commissioned by Amazon. The initiative aims to demystify complex cyber security concepts and provide consumers with actionable, real-world tools to navigate the digital marketplace safely. The handbook shines a bright light on the most prevalent fraudulent tactics currently plaguing buyers. To combat these threats, the safety guide emphasizes a multi-layered approach to consumer protection. It urges shoppers to verify web addresses meticulously, refrain from sharing one-time passwords and avoid conducting transactions off authorized brand platforms. Equally important, the guide bridges the gap between technical vigilance and legal empowerment by outlining explicit consumer rights under Indian laws and detailing formal grievance redressal mechanisms. A sustainable defence against online shopping fraud requires an integrated, multi-stakeholder strategy that aligns consumer awareness, corporate accountability and robust law enforcement. E-commerce platforms must continue investing aggressively in advanced artificial intelligence tools to detect cloned websites, eliminate fake merchant accounts and intercept suspicious payment flows before they reach consumers. Concurrently, regulatory authorities and law enforcement agencies must strengthen real-time intervention frameworks, expanding initiatives like the 1930 cyber crime helpline and emergency account-freezing protocols to minimize financial damage when breaches happen. On the demand side, continuous public awareness campaigns, modelled after comprehensive handbooks, must reach deep into semi-urban and rural regions where first-time internet users are most susceptible to manipulation. Ultimately, building a safe digital shopping environment is about preserving trust. Only when digital literacy keeps pace with technological innovation can India truly reap the economic rewards of its e-commerce revolution without sacrificing the security of its citizens. (The writer is a former college Principal and Founder of Supporting Shoulders, an Odisha-based non-profit Trust. Views personal.)

Fugitive Justice

After years on the run, Mehul Choksi, the diamond dealer-turned-fugitive at the heart of one of India’s most egregious banking scandals, has been arrested in Belgium. The 65-year-old is a key accused in the Rs. 13,500 crore Punjab National Bank (PNB) fraud case that rocked India’s financial system in 2018. His arrest is a rare diplomatic success for Indian authorities in a saga marked by financial chicanery, sluggish extradition battles and gaping regulatory failures.


Choksi had been conveniently living in Antigua and Barbuda as a citizen since 2018 after fleeing India. His arrival in Belgium last year, reportedly for cancer treatment, had attracted little public attention until now. That his wife holds Belgian citizenship may have eased his travel, but not his fate. India has wasted no time with both the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) pressing for his extradition.


The task is not impossible. India has a functioning extradition treaty with Belgium, dating back to 1901. The treaty operates on the principle of ‘dual criminality,’ which is that a person can be extradited if the alleged offence is punishable in both countries. Financial fraud, of course, qualifies. But success is far from guaranteed.


India’s recent track record in pursuing high-profile economic offenders has been dismal. Nirav Modi, Choksi’s nephew and a co-accused in the PNB scam, has fought a protracted legal battle against extradition from the United Kingdom, where he has remained since 2018. Vijay Mallya, the former Kingfisher Airlines boss accused of defaulting on loans and money laundering, continues to stall his return despite an extradition order. In both cases, India has been ensnared by the procedural thickets of British courts, and by arguments about prison conditions, political persecution and judicial independence.


Belgium’s treaty has similar escape valves. It bars extradition in cases deemed political or if the accused can argue persecution. Choksi has previously claimed that he is the target of a politically motivated witch-hunt, a narrative he used when he mysteriously vanished from Antigua in 2021 and ended up in Dominica, alleging he had been abducted.


This time, Indian authorities must build an airtight case and ensure his prosecution stands up to judicial scrutiny abroad. But even if Choksi returns to face trial, justice must go further. The alleged fraud was colossal: Choksi is accused of siphoning over Rs. 6,000 crore and Nirav Modi another Rs. 7,000 crore. Today, the realisable value of Choksi’s assets stands closer to Rs. 2,500 crore.


Beyond extradition, what is needed is restitution. The defrauded sums must be returned to their rightful owners, public sector banks and, by extension, Indian taxpayers. That means faster trials, sharper asset recovery mechanisms and more transparency about where the money goes. It also means plugging the regulatory holes that allowed such frauds to flourish in the first place. Justice will only be served when not just the fugitives, but the system that enabled them, is held to account.

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