CHENNAI: The Anna Nagar police have arrested four individuals, including a husband, wife, and their son, for allegedly selling counterfeit smartphones by falsely claiming a family emergency. A total of 26 fake phones, 27 chargers, and Rs. 9,000 in cash were seized from the accused.
The case came to light after a 31-year-old car driver, Sathyaraj from Tiruvannamalai district, filed a complaint. On the afternoon of May 4, 2026, Sathyaraj was resting in his car on Valliyammal College Street in Anna Nagar. Four people from a North Indian state approached him, claiming their child was unwell and they urgently needed money to pay for hospital bills and house rent. They offered to sell a recently purchased Vivo mobile phone. Believing their story, Sathyaraj paid Rs. 12,000 for the phone. Later that evening, when he took the device to a local mobile shop for verification, he discovered it was a fake.
Based on his complaint, the Anna Nagar police registered a case and launched an investigation.
A team led by the Crime Inspector tracked down and arrested the four accused on May 7, 2026. They have been identified as Balu, 49; his wife Pramilabai, 42; their son Praveen, 18; and relative Dhanraj, 27, all from Jaligon district in Maharashtra.
Investigations revealed that the gang procured fake smartphones from Mumbai and sold them at high prices in Chennai by claiming emergencies and pretending to sell genuine company phones.
The accused were produced before a court on May 7 and remanded to judicial custody.