Brand new Vivo phone explodes in biker’s pocket

A motorcyclist had the shock of his life when his brand new Vivo smartphone exploded in his trouser pocket on April 18 while he was riding to his village to vote.

As the trousers caught fire, Gangadhar K R not only sustained burns to the left groin but also fell off the bike, suffering from grievous injuries in the process.

He has now filed a police complaint against the director of Vivo Communication Technology Company Limited, the Chinese handset maker; its distributor, and Sangeetha Mobiles, the retail mobile phone chain.

Gangadhar K R, a mechanic at a motorbike showroom, said he had bought the phone for Rs 15,249 from Sangeetha Mobiles at GC Circle, Hoskote, on April 17. The next day, he decided to ride to his village in Srinivaspur, Kolar district, to cast his vote.

Just as Gangadhar reached Chintamani road near Tarabahalli village around 12.30 pm, he felt a flash of intense heat in the left trouser pocket in which he had tucked the brand new phone. Moments later, the phone exploded and his trousers caught fire. He lost control of the bike which soon hit a roadside stone, causing him to fall.

Passersby rushed to his help and took him to a hospital. The hospital alerted the jurisdictional Nandagudi police with a memo about the incident.

A head constable from the police station later came to the hospital and took Gangadhar’s statement.

Police have opened a case of causing grievous hurt by act endangering life or personal safety of others and cheating. A senior police officer said the phone would be sent for forensic examination to determine the cause of the blast. Based on the forensic report, the suspects would be summoned for questioning, he added.

Another police officer sympathised with Gangadhar, saying he faced a triple whammy. Not only did he lose his phone and suffered injuries but he also could not exercise his franchise.

A spokesperson for Vivo India said customer safety was the number one priority for the company. "We are shocked at the incident that has been reported in Nandagudi, Karnataka. All our products undergo more than 1,000 stringent levels of quality and durability tests, that ensure utmost quality standard. As we are currently in the process of investigating the root cause of the issue, we wish a speedy recovery to those injured in this incident. We will share a more detailed report once the enquiry is concluded,” the spokesperson added.