Delhi,July.13: The Crime Branch of the Delhi Police raided Akasaki, a trusted name in mobile phones and accessories at Lotus Plaza in Karol Bagh, and found counterfeit iPhones and all kinds of assembling material for other smartphones.
Planning to buy a new smartphone any time soon? Looking for best deals online or searching for a cornershop that offers big discounts? Be warned! You may end up with a fake that has been assembled in the local market from parts sourced from China. As recent as last Thursday, the Crime Branch of the Delhi Police raided Akasaki, a trusted name in mobile phones and accessories at Lotus Plaza in Karol Bagh, after a tip-off from officials of the Enforcement of Intellectual Property Rights (EIPR).
They not only found counterfeit iPhones, but also all kinds of assembling material for other smartphones. The shop was seized and a huge scam unearthed.
Akasaki is not only one of the major traders in mobile accessories, but also a known supplier to various online portals: from Keematdekh.com to Flipkart, Amazon and Shopclues.com. It is also one of the biggest importers of mobile phones and accessories with offices in India, China and Africa.
Cops seized around 28 iPhone5 and six iPhone 6 smartphones, all fake. They also found over 4,300 assembling material for iPhones, which included holograms, stickers, packaging material, spare parts, covers etc.
Before the raid took place, an investigation was carried by EIPR, which helps brands look into cases of copyright violation. Apple is one of their clients. EIPR received information about fakes being assembled in Delhi and started their probe.
Mail Today investigation found that not in Akasaki, Gaffar market, Old Lajpat Rai Market, Palika Bazar and Nehru Place also sell fake smartphones. Sale of fake smart phones and accessories are also taking place in other metro cities. The famous MIDC commercial market in Andheri, Mumbai, is in the list of EIPR of places where fake mobile phones are assembled and sold.
Traders import imitation parts of iPhones and other smartphones mainly from China, assemble them locally and sell them as originals at heavy discount.
