"Delhi High Court Orders Urgent Investigation by Delhi Police into Fraudulent Misuse of Reliance Industries' AJIO Trademark
New Delhi, [Date]: The Delhi High Court has issued a significant directive, instructing the Delhi Police to initiate an immediate investigation into fraudulent activities involving the unlawful use of the AJIO trademark, owned by Reliance Industries Limited. This development emerged from the case of 'Reliance Industries Limited & Anr v. Ajio Online Shopping Pvt Ltd and Ors,' presided over by Justice Prathiba M Singh.
Justice Singh, in her order, emphasized the transformative impact of digital technology, acknowledging its benefits to consumers but also highlighting the challenges it poses due to its susceptibility to illegal and nefarious activities. She described the case as a stark example of exploiting a well-established brand name within the digital landscape to deceive unsuspecting customers.
The Court's decision came in response to a petition filed by Reliance Industries Limited, asserting that multiple individuals had been sending fraudulent communications under the guise of 'Ajio Online Shopping Pvt Ltd,' misleading consumers into believing they had won substantial prize money. The perpetrators of this scam falsely claimed that individuals had won scratch cards worth up to ₹10 lakh, with the promise of claiming the prize money after depositing ₹5,000. Various mobile numbers and bank accounts were utilized by the scammers to receive these deposits.
Reliance Industries sought protection of its trademark and urged the police to conduct a thorough investigation to identify the individuals behind the fraudulent activities.
Justice Singh observed that a large-scale operation was being orchestrated by unscrupulous individuals, systematically collecting funds under the names 'AJIO' and 'AJIO Online Shopping Private Limited.' The fraudulent letters and scratch cards were so convincing that recipients struggled to differentiate between genuine AJIO communications and those of the scammers.
Due to the well-established reputation of the AJIO brand, customers naturally believed these communications to be authentic. The Court noted that the scammers' request for an initial fee to be eligible for the scratch card offer was deceptive and likely to be complied with by unsuspecting victims. It further suggested that multiple individuals were collaborating closely to unlawfully profit from this scheme, possibly by concealing their identities when opening bank accounts.
Consequently, the Court restrained the defendants from using the 'AJIO' mark or sending any communication to customers soliciting funds into any bank accounts. Justice Singh also ordered the immediate freezing of the bank accounts held by the scammers across three banks, demanding comprehensive bank statements, KYC details, and other relevant information.
The Court directed telecom service providers to block all the mentioned mobile numbers and provide documentation concerning the identity of the individuals associated with these numbers. The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) was tasked with issuing blocking orders for these mobile numbers, rendering them non-operational immediately.
The case is scheduled for further proceedings on September 25, 20[XX].
Reliance Industries Limited was represented by Advocates Sidharth Chopra, Yatinder Garg, Angad Makkar, and Raunak Das Sharma. Delhi Police was represented by Additional Standing Counsel Hetu Arora Sethi, while the Central Government Standing Counsel (CGSC) Harish Vaidyanathan Shankar, along with Advocates Srish Kumar Mishra, Sagar Mehlawat, Alexander Mathai Paikaday, Krishnan V, and M Sriram, represented the DoT."
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TAGS: Delhi High Court Investigation Fraudulent Misuse Reliance Industries AJIO Trademark Justice Prathiba M Singh Digital Technology Deceptive Scam Unlawful Activities Brand Name Scam Operation Fraudulent Communications Prize Money Bank Accounts Trademark Protection Collaboration Bank Freeze Telecom Providers Blocking Orders Proceeding Date.
