Three Chinese citizens have been apprehended by Dhaka police detectives for operating an illicit iPhone manufacturing facility in Uttara and Nikunja regions of the capital. The individuals taken into custody are Tan Jian, Wu Jun, and Dong Hongwei.
In a recent operation, authorities seized 363 iPhones of diverse models, along with a substantial collection of spare parts, assembly machinery, eight bottles of foreign alcohol, and Tk 26,000 in cash. Mohiuddin Mahmud Sohel, Deputy Commissioner of Mirpur Division’s Detective Branch, revealed this information during a press conference at the DMP Media Centre. He stated that a criminal group had been engaging in this underground operation for 18 months, avoiding taxes and deceiving consumers by passing off assembled phones as genuine products.
Following a tip-off, a detective team conducted a raid at a residence in Uttara West’s Sector 13, resulting in the arrest of Tan Jian and the seizure of 58 iPhones. Acting on intelligence provided by Tan Jian, the authorities proceeded to a property in Nikunja-1 under Khilkhet Police Station, detaining Wu Jun and Dong Hongwei and uncovering a concealed workshop. Subsequently, 305 iPhones, spare parts, and assembly equipment were confiscated from the Nikunja location.
DC Mohiuddin disclosed that the group had been importing iPhone components separately to evade taxes, assembling them in a covert lab to fabricate counterfeit devices indistinguishable from authentic iPhones. These fake phones were then distributed in the local market and marketed as genuine products.
The officials suspect that a significant volume of counterfeit phones has already been circulated in the market during the group’s fraudulent activities. While some local individuals were identified during the initial probe, their identities are being withheld for investigative purposes.
Authorities are currently pursuing legal action against the detainees. Additionally, the DB official issued a caution to the public, advising them to exercise vigilance when purchasing mobile phones. Consumers were encouraged to acquire devices solely from authorized outlets or reputable sources to avoid falling victim to deceptive offers for supposedly “genuine” devices.