A man in Mumbai’s Bhandup sustained minor burn injuries after a mobile phone exploded in his shirt’s pocket while he was having lunch at a restaurant. The incident took place on June 4 and was captured on the CCTV camera of the restaurant. In this video, the man can be seen having lunch with another person when the phone suddenly explodes in his pocket. There are clear visuals of a thick pile of white smoke seen.
The man then panics and throws the phone away but suffered minor injuries in the act. The explosion left a big hole in his shirt even as the man ran towards the nearest exit. The video shows other people present inside the restaurant at the time of the incident shocked after the sudden explosion. The video, that is now going viral, shows other customers at the restaurant getting up and moving away from the table.
A police official at the Bhandup police station told the FinancialExpress.com that the incident took place at Bageecha Veg Family Restaurant on June 4. He said that no complaint was registered in the case and the police didn’t have any details about the victim either.
The manager of Bageecha Hotel, Nagraj Pujari, told FinancialExpress.com that the incident took place at around 1:50 PM on Monday i.e. June 4 when the victim who is a regular customer at the restaurant came for lunch with one of his friends.
“The customer was having lunch when he suddenly felt the heat in his pocket. As soon as he took out the phone, it exploded. His clothes, hand and chest were burnt in the incident,” Pujari said.
He added that the victim and his friend got scared after the incident and left the battery behind. “They were scared and left the battery behind. They took the phone with them as it had some warranty,” he added. In the video, it is not clear which phone was it but Pujari claimed that it was a Samsung phone and battery.
“It was a Samsung battery and phone. Since these guys were really scared they didn’t register any complaint and left immediately after the incident for a nearby hospital,” he said.
However, in the images shared by Pujari, the brand of the battery is still not clear. He claimed that on the day of the incident the name of the brand was visible but since the battery was burnt, it disappeared. Pujari said that he had even asked the customer about the phone’s brand who said that it was a Samsung phone.
When contacted, the victim, Sunil Kante, confirmed that it was indeed a Samsung Note II phone which was earlier being used by his wife. Kante told FinancialExpress.com that he had reached the hotel at around 1:30 pm with two of his friends and was waiting for a couple of other friends when he felt pain in his chest.
What Samsung has to say?
Reacting to the incident, Samsung India Spokesperson said, “After the incident, the customer got in touch with us. On investigation, we found that the smartphone was retrofitted with generic accessories. Consumer safety is our top priority. We request all our customers to use only genuine accessories including batteries and chargers.”
What happened with him? User reveals
“I had reached the hotel between 1:30 PM and 1:45 PM with two of my friends for lunch. I was waiting for two other friends and had just ordered when I felt pain in my chest. When I checked, there smoke was coming out of my pocket so I got up and threw the phone. My finger touched the phone and was burnt. Then I saw that my clothes were also burnt and I was scared. But, then people around calmed me down,” he said.
Kante added that he got out of the hotel and since there was no doctor nearby, he went to a medical shop and bought medication. He then rushed to Vikhroli where he lives and knew a doctor who would have been available at that time. He visited the doctor.
“My wife was using this phone but then purchased a new phone. So I started using it,” he said.
Kante added that he even went to a Samsung Store in Ghatkopar and showed them the phone. “They took the phone and said that they will show it to their seniors. I also showed them my burnt clothes which they took,” he added.
#WATCH: Mobile phone blasts in man’s pocket in Mumbai’s Bhandup. (Source: CCTV Footage) (4.6.2018) pic.twitter.com/2oC9uudHq6
— ANI (@ANI) June 5, 2018
Asked whether he will be filing a complaint, Kante said that he never thought that something like this would happen and is just happy that he survived. He thanked God and his well-wishers.
Samsung was in the news when it had to recall all the Note 7 devices after problem with its battery had caused a number of handsets to heat up and explode.
Another incident was reported in March this year when a 19-year old Odisha girl was reportedly killed after a Nokia 5233 exploded in her hands. She was reportedly talking to her relative while charging the phone when it exploded.