Six held for making, selling duplicate feature phones
The Detective Branch of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) has arrested six people on allegations of making and marketing duplicate mobile phones of various brands.
The accused gained several crores by selling duplicate phones in the last 5-6 years, DMP Additional Commissioner of Police (investigation) Harun Or Rashid told a press briefing held at DMP Media Center on Monday (10 September).
As customers are being cheated by buying these duplicate phones, the government is losing revenue as well, said the DMP commissioner.
The arrestees are Md Moshiur Rahman, Md Sagar Hossain, Rahmat Ali, Sujan Ali, Tariqul Islam Babu and Monir Hossain. The Cyber and Special Crime (north) of DB arrested them from Motalib Tower of the capital's Hatirpool area Sunday (9 October).
The police seized 313 duplicate mobile phones of Nokia brand, 206 Samsung Guru Music 2 model phones, one Kingstar Impulse Sealer Machine, one hot air hun, 203 mobile phone chargers, 195 headphones, 97 mobile phone cameras, 820 mobile body covers and spare parts for making duplicate phones of different brands.
Mozammel Hossain, the chief administrative officer of Union Tech Park Limited, came to know through the company's salesman and market intelligence member that fake mobile phones with Nokia seals were being sold in various mobile shops in Motalib Plaza.
He filed a case with Shahbag police station after finding the authenticity of such an incident. DMP's DB Cyber Police started a shadow investigation of the case.
The DB chief also said that some of the arrestees have education up to grade V-VII but are skilled in repairing mobile phones and making duplicate phones by putting various components together.
He said they manufacture these fake phones themselves by importing low-quality mobile parts from China. And made logos and packets used on the phone from various local printing presses.
These duplicate phones are supplied to the market at low prices by unscrupulous sellers and malfunction within a short period of time after reaching the consumer level.