According to the police, the racket sourced spare parts and accessories from China and assembled them to manufacture premium smartphones.
A racket involved in the illegal assembly and sale of fake premium Samsung mobile phones in Karol Bagh has been busted and four men, including the alleged kingpin, were arrested, police said. Over 500 counterfeit handsets were also seized, officers said.
Acting on a tip-off, a raid was conducted on the intervening night of December 13 and 14 at a shop in Karol Bagh’s Beadonpura — where the accused allegedly used to assemble high-end Samsung mobile phones using imported parts to later sell them, said police. A total of 512 fake premium Samsung mobile phones — including the Ultra, Fold and Flip models — were recovered, along with 124 motherboards, 138 batteries, 459 fake IMEI stickers marked “Made in Vietnam”, and specialised tools used for assembly.
According to the police, the racket sourced spare parts and accessories from China and assembled them to manufacture premium smartphones. The accused also pasted fake IMEI stickers and sold the devices in the open market at prices ranging from Rs 35,000 to Rs 40,000 per unit.
The accused — identified as Hakim (36), a resident of Ashok Vihar; Mehtab Ahmad Ansari (36) from Brijpuri; Ravi Ahuja (36) from Rohini; and Rahul (33), a Karol Bagh resident — were arrested red-handed during the raid, police also said.
A case under sections 42(3)(c) and 43(3)(f) of the Telecommunication Act and sections 318(4) (cheating) and 212 (furnishing false information) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita was registered at Karol Bagh police station, officers said.
During questioning, the accused allegedly disclosed that Hakim was the mastermind. Police said that Hakim, who studied till Class 8, ran the operation by importing mobile phone components such as motherboards, cameras, speakers, body frames and back glass from China. With the help of his accomplices, he assembled them to manufacture Samsung mobile phone models which were in high demand and sold them as brand new devices, said police.
Further investigation to trace the supply chain, identify buyers and uncover a wider network linked to the manufacture and sale of the counterfeit premium mobile phones is underway, police added.