Mau (Uttar Pradesh): A large-scale online commerce fraud has surfaced in Mau district of Uttar Pradesh, where 102 saree vendors and weavers allege that sarees worth nearly ₹8 crore have gone missing over the past three months, despite refunds and order cancellations being officially processed on the Meesho platform.
The affected traders have accused Meesho and its authorised delivery partners—Expressbase and Valmo Courier Services—of orchestrated fraud, diversion of returned goods and manipulation of delivery records. Written complaints have been submitted at the Mau Kotwali police station, but vendors say that despite repeated representations, neither the platform nor the authorities have taken concrete action so far.
Refund Processed, Goods Never Returned
According to the traders, thousands of sarees are sold daily from Mau through online platforms, with Meesho being a major channel. Due to reasons such as incorrect addresses, customers being unreachable or order refusal, a significant portion of consignments—nearly 40%, by traders’ estimates—fail delivery and are returned.
Under standard e-commerce norms, such returned goods must be sent back to the registered seller. However, vendors allege that while Meesho’s dashboard shows orders as “returned” and “refunded”, the physical sarees never make their way back to them.
On December 12 alone, traders claim sarees worth nearly ₹10 lakh were shown as returned but were never delivered back to sellers.
Courier Partners at the Centre of Allegations
The focus of the allegations is on Meesho’s local logistics partners, Expressbase and Valmo, both operated by two brothers residing in the Ballipura area under Mau Kotwali jurisdiction. Vendors allege that the courier firms have been deliberately misappropriating sarees during transit.
Several traders claim that delivery statuses were falsely marked as “completed” even when consignments never reached customers. In multiple cases, deliveries were allegedly recorded without OTP verification, raising serious questions about the integrity of the delivery process.
Returned sarees collected from customers were neither sent back to vendors nor compensated monetarily, resulting in mounting losses for small weavers and traders.
Courier Owners Allegedly Turned Sellers
During internal inquiries by traders, a startling revelation reportedly emerged. Vendors allege that the owners of the courier companies—who were earlier only handling deliveries—have now registered themselves as sellers on online platforms.
According to the complaint, sarees procured from Mau weavers at around ₹400 per piece are allegedly being resold online by the courier company owners for ₹250–₹300, undercutting original sellers. Traders suspect that returned sarees were systematically collected, diverted and reintroduced into the market under new seller accounts.
This alleged conflict of interest has intensified demands for a forensic audit of logistics records and seller registrations linked to the courier firms.
Growing Anger Among Traders
Angered by continuous losses and lack of response, affected traders have been visiting Mau Kotwali for the past two days seeking police intervention. However, many complain that they have been unable to meet senior police officials.
Traders warn that if immediate action is not taken, they will be forced to launch protests. “This is not just a financial issue—it threatens the survival of Mau’s traditional saree industry,” said one affected vendor.
Police Response
Police officials confirmed receipt of the written complaints and said a preliminary inquiry has begun. They stated that the matter involves complex elements of e-commerce operations, logistics chains and digital transaction records, and therefore requires detailed verification before registering an FIR.
“All delivery data, transaction logs and platform records will be examined. If evidence establishes criminal intent or misappropriation, appropriate legal action will follow,” a senior officer said.
Industry Concerns
The case has raised serious concerns over transparency and accountability in online marketplaces, particularly for small and medium sellers who rely heavily on third-party logistics partners.
The episode highlights systemic vulnerabilities in e-commerce supply chains and underscores the urgent need for stricter oversight to protect traditional artisans and small traders from organised digital fraud.
