What is Freedom 251?
Freedom 251 is a smart phone sold by Ringing bells private limited (RBPL). It was initially priced at Rs. 251; this promotional price was offered for a limited time only to online bookings between 18 and 21 February 2016.
Phone specifications
- Compatible networks 2.5G, 3G, HSUPA
- Form factor Slate
- Operating system Android 5.1 Lollipop
- CPU 1.3 GHz Quad-Core Processor
- Memory 1 GB RAM
- Storage 8 GB
- Removable storage Up to 32 GB MicroSD
- Battery 1450 mAh Lithium-ion battery
- Data inputs Touch-screen
- Display 4.0 inch
- Rear camera 3.2 megapixel
- Front camera 0.3 megapixel
- Connectivity Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 3.0, USB 2.0
- Other Wi-Fi Hot Spot, FM radio
What rang the bell?
According to the Indian Cellular Association (ICA), even with a subsidized sale, the selling price for such a mobile should not be less than Rs 3,500.
When Freedom 251 was launched, RBPL distributed some reviews units of their device. It was later discovered that the phones belonged to Adcom, and that the Adcom branding was simply erased using a whitener.
Suing ensues
In March this year, Adcom threatened legal action against RBPL.
“We are deeply grieved by this incident where our mobile phone has been presented to masses for Rs 251, and therefore, would not hesitate from taking any legal actions against the company, in case the entire fiasco impacts Adcom’s brand name or subsequently we face any other kind of losses,” Adcom’s founder and chairman Sanjeev Bhatia said.
To this, RBPL president Ashok Chadha said that they had only given Adcom handsets as samples. The real Freedom 251 will have all the promised features.
Cyfuture, a provider of data centre and business process outsourcing (BPO) services plans, claim they were contacted by RBPL to provide call-centre support for its smart-phone brand in India, and the company did not fulfil payments due to them. They now plan to file a case of cheating and fraud against RBPL.
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Member of Parliament Kirit Somaiya has stated that the phone is bogus and the promotion is a Ponzi scam. He filed a complaint which led to an FIR being registered against RBPL Director Mohit Goel and company president Ashok Chaddha under Section 420 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) as well as the Information Technology Act.
Strangely, some BJP members were also seen during the Freedom 251 launch program. Something which the ICA complained about and also asked the telecom minister to intervene.
A strange request and the rebuttal
RBPL CEO Mohit Goel sought help from Prime Minister Narendra Modi in order to deliver all 7.5 crore units of Freedom 251. Goel demanded Rs 50,000 crore from the government under the Digital India initiative in a letter to Prime Minister Modi.
“This is not a Govt project. Make in India team has nothing 2 (to) do with this,” tweeted Amitabh Kant, who was the then outgoing secretary of Department of Industrial Policy & Promotion (DIPP), the nodal agency for the ‘Make in India’ campaign.
Money refund is promised
RBPL had promised to provide refunds to 30,000 customers who pre-booked the Freedom 251 on the first day of the sale. After this website crashed, as such they could not take more orders.
Cash on delivery
After deciding to refund the money of 30,000 customers, the company decided to adopt the cash on delivery method. But PayUBiz issued a statement and refused to release payments till proof of deliveries was given.
In a statement issued by a company spokesperson, PayUBiz had said, “With a surge in number of queries received for Freedom 251 during last few days, we are cautious towards the payments being made by buyers to buy Freedom 251. As a responsible payment solution company, we have ensured that the buyer’s money remains safe with us and gets released to the merchant once the product is dispatched. In case the merchant is not able to fulfil the huge demand they have received, we will work with merchant to return the money to buyers.”
Scanning and Probing begins
The Income Tax (IT) department starts looking into the financial structure of the company.
The telecom ministry conducts an internal assessment on the Freedom 251 and finds that it cannot be made for less than Rs. 2300.
Are the bells ringing?
This still remains a mystery. But as the RBCL says, Everyone just a call away. Call it a strange coincidence, but my doorbell is ringing.
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References