Gujarat accounts for highest seizure of sex toys, 600 seized in Ahmedabad in 3 years

Customs officials have seized over 600 sex toys, which fall in the  category of banned items, from the Foreign Post Office (FPO) in Shahibaug, Ahmedabad in the past three years.

According to reports, Customs officials seized 165 sex toys in 2022, 270 sex toys in 2023, and 165 sex toys in 2024 from the FPO.

The Customs Act bans sale of ‘obscene materials’, so sex toys are imported in baggage, parcels and containers from the US, UK and other countries.

As much as 90% of sex toys seized from the FPO are imported from the US and 10% from the UK.

The highest seizure of sex toys in India has been found to be in Gujarat, with 40% of sex toys seized in the country coming from the state.

In Gujarat, the sale of this type of sex toys were recorded in Ahmedabad, Surat, Rajkot, Vadodara, Jamnagar, Anand, Nadiad and Valsad. These toys were ordered from overseas e-commerce websites.

Are sex toys banned in India?

Sex toys exist in a legal grey area in India. While there is no specific law that explicitly bans sex toys, their sale, distribution, and public display are restricted under Section 292 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), which criminalises the sale and circulation of ‘obscene’ materials. Customs laws also prohibit the import of sex toys, classifying them as obscene objects.

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