Mobile phone explodes in Hyd man's pocket, injuries sustained after falling off bike
A brand new mobile phone exploded in the pocket of a 28-year-old man in Hyderabad as he was riding his two-wheeler on Tuesday, leaving him injured. The incident took place in the city's Alwal area and the man was identified as Md Imran, an electrician, who was travelling from Lothkunta to Bolarum.
The police said that Imran had recently purchased the 'Oppo' cell phone and had to be rushed to a hospital after the incident as the phone also left burn marks on his left thigh.
"Due to this (blast), Imran received burn injury in his leg and fell down from the scooter and received head and eye injuries. Victim's condition is declared out of danger. We have suggested the victim should complain in the consumer court against the local dealer of the mobile phone. It has come to notice that that the phone may have exploded due to heat," Ramesh Reddy, Circle Inspector, Bollaram Police Station, was quoted as saying.
The police also did not rule out the chances of a defect in the device.
In a statement, the mobile manufacturer said, "Consumer safety is of paramount importance to us, at OPPO. The occurrence of such an incident is very unfortunate and we are looking into it, on priority, with much seriousness. We deeply care for our user, and are providing all necessary assistance and support, to ensure his well being. As strict protocol, all our devices undergo thorough checks and we are committed to ensuring such accidents do not occur in future, by driving even more stringent processes."
In February this year, a similar incident had taken place when a resident of Manneguda village in Ranga Reddy district's Ibrahimpatnam mandal was electrocuted while trying to charge his mobile phone. He was shifted to the state-run Osmania General Hospital where the doctors declared him brought dead.
In 2017, Chinese phone maker Xiaomi had to take note and issue a statement after reports of one of its smartphones, Redmi Note 4, exploded in the pocket of a man in Andhra Pradesh. The resulting fire left him with severe burn injuries on his thigh. Suriyakiran, the victim, had bought the phone barely 20 days earlier. At the time, the company had also advised its customers to always use the chargers recommended by them, to avoid any undesirable consequences.
In 2016, Samsung found itself drawing flak, when cases of its Galaxy Note 7 catching fire were reported from multiple locations. The company had to recall the devices from markets all over.