CHENNAI: The Aminjikarai police on Sunday seized nearly 350 duplicate back cases of iPhones and nabbed two men who had been selling such cases for Rs 500 each. An original iPhone case costs Rs 4,500.
The arrested men, Thirukumar and Srinivasan, who run separate cell phone shops in Aminjikarai, were booked under the Copyright Act before being let off on bail.
Based on a complaint from Kumaravel, an official of a Mumbai-based company hired by the original iPhone manufacturer to keep an eye on the movement of such duplicate covers, police raided the shops at Aminjikarai and effected the seizure.
Investigations revealed that Thirukumar and Srinivasan had bought the covers from places like Ritchie Street, the city’s hub for electronic goods, and Burma Bazaar for a cheaper prize. “Since the original cover is expensive, many preferred duplicate ones at an affordable Rs 500, though they were not long lasting,” said an officer.
He said some of those who bought the covers got them fixed to their Android-based mobile phones and passed them off as iPhones.
“They [Thirukumar and Srinivasan] did not have any idea about the manufacturers as they only bought the covers in bulk. We are also probing to find out the details of the manufacturers of these covers,” he said.
