Freedom 251: Police lodge FIR against Ringing Bells for ‘cheating’

Police registered an FIR late on Tuesday against Noida-based company Ringing Bells – which claims to sell the world’s cheapest smartphone -- for cheating following a complaint by BJP parliamentarian Kirit Somaiya.

An FIR was registered against Ringing Bells company, which advertised its smart phone for Rs 251, following a complaint by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Kirit Somaiya, police said.

Ringing Bells shot to fame in February after it launched the Freedom 251 that sold at just Rs 251. (Sanchit Khanna/HT Photo)

A case under section 420 of the Indian Penal Code (cheating) and the IT Act was registered on Tuesday night, police said.

“After primary investigation of the complaint, we found that it’s fit for an FIR. A case was lodged and a team was constituted to investigate the case,” said Kiran Sivakumar, senior superintendent of police (SSP), Gautam Budh Nagar.

The FIR was lodged against promoter of the company Mohit Goel and its president Ashok Chaddha. “We will ask the company to submit the documents required for the investigation. Also, the company will have to show the manufacturing units of the phone which they promised to sell,” said Anup Singh, deputy superintendent of police (Circle Officer 2), Noida.

“We remain committed to cooperate with any government agency that may require to inquire our organization for any reason or suspicion. I do maintain that we will deliver the most affordable quality products to our customers through our various range of smart phones, including the Freedom 251,” said Mohit Goel, director, Ringing Bells Pvt Ltd. Chaddha, however, refused to comment on the issue.

In February, the company offered an online booking of its smart phone. Till February 21, seven crore people booked the phone online with nearly 30,000 paying the amount.