Total of 22 warehouses of Amazon, Flipkart, Zomato-owned Blinkit raided since FY25

India’s fast-growing quick commerce and e-commerce sector is facing regulatory scrutiny as the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) has intensified raids and market surveillance operations targeting dark stores— the backend warehouses that power instant delivery platforms.

In response to a question in the Lok Sabha on August 6, the Ministry of Consumer Affairs revealed that 344 samples of products sold via e-commerce and quick commerce platforms were procured and tested during FY 2024–25.

Shockingly, 142 of these were found to be in violation of mandatory BIS certification norms, prompting a series of enforcement actions.

Read more: Dark side of dark stores: Q-comm brands like Blinkit, Zepto are quickly losing consumer trust

The BIS carried out search and seizure operations at 22 warehouses— commonly referred to as dark stores—spread across 11 states and union territories. These include three operations each in Delhi, Haryana, Karnataka, and Maharashtra; two each in Rajasthan and Tamil Nadu; and one each in Gujarat, Odisha, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, and Uttarakhand.

The companies whose warehouses were targeted include some of the biggest names in Indian online retail:

Amazon – 14 warehouses

Instakart (Flipkart’s logistics arm) – 7 warehouses

Blinkit – 1 warehouse

These raids are part of a broader effort by the government to ensure that all products sold online comply with the Quality Control Orders (QCOs) that mandate BIS certification for specific categories such as electronics, household goods, and appliances.

While the government has not disclosed the exact fines levied or whether any of these warehouses were shut down following the raids, it confirmed that enforcement actions were followed by public awareness campaigns across various media platforms. The Bureau has used social media extensively—via its Instagram, Facebook, and X (formerly Twitter) handles—to inform consumers and sellers about the required certification norms.

This marks a significant shift in the regulatory posture towards e-commerce and quick-commerce players, who have come under increasing criticism for opaque backend operations and inconsistent product quality in the rush to deliver within minutes.

The rise of dark stores, especially post-pandemic, has been a cornerstone of India’s quick commerce boom, enabling platforms to promise sub-30-minute deliveries. However, their rapid proliferation—often in residential areas or on the outskirts of cities—has raised concerns about regulatory compliance, especially in the absence of physical retail inspections.

The government’s move to increase surveillance and enforcement at these warehouses signals a push to bring this segment in line with national quality and safety standards. It also reflects the growing importance of consumer trust and product integrity in a digital-first retail landscape.

With quick commerce projected to grow at over 30% CAGR over the next five years, industry watchers believe this level of regulatory oversight is only the beginning. Stakeholders in both the public and private sectors will need to collaborate to ensure that speed does not come at the cost of safety or standardisation.