Telangana man claims he found water in sealed cooking oil can ordered from Zepto
A Telangana man claimed that he received water inside a sealed cooking oil can delivered via Zepto, which raised concerns over product quality, supply chain checks, and accountability.
An online grocery order turned into a shocking ordeal for a consumer in Telangana after he allegedly received water instead of cooking oil in a sealed can delivered via a quick-commerce platform.
The incident occurred in Kranti Colony in Medchal district, where Sharath Yadav, the consumer, had placed an order for a can of cooking oil through a local Zepto store. Expecting a standard delivery, he was instead left stunned when he opened the container and discovered it was filled with water.
He also recorded a video of what he received, as he poured out the contents inside the oil container into a bowl and showed how every last drop of it was just water.
Watch the video here:
According to Yadav, the product appeared properly sealed from the outside, which raised serious concerns about how such a discrepancy could occur within the supply chain. What made the situation more alarming was the branding of the product, which gave no immediate indication of tampering or substitution at the time of delivery.
Upon realising the issue, Sharath promptly reached out to the Zepto store to report the matter. However, he claimed that the response from the store was dismissive, with staff allegedly stating that they functioned only as a retail outlet and were not responsible for the contents of the packaged product.
Disappointed by the lack of accountability, Sharath then escalated the matter legally. He filed a complaint in consumer court, calling the incident a serious lapse in quality control and consumer safety. He argued that when customers ordered branded goods through a platform, they trusted both the seller and the delivery service to ensure product authenticity and quality.
The incident led to concerns amongst users about quality checks in the rapidly growing quick-commerce ecosystem, where speed often took priority. With deliveries happening within minutes, questions were raised about whether adequate verification mechanisms were in place to prevent such lapses.