A teenager died in Kheriakani district of Odisha after an old Nokia 5233 phone exploded while she was on a call with a relative. According to news reports, the teenager named Uma Oram had plugged in the Nokia 5233 phone for charging while she talking. “Uma, who was knocked unconscious and suffered injuries to her hand, leg and chest, was taken to a local hospital, where she died,” according to a report by Metro.
HMD Global, the new caretaker of the Nokia brand, has sidelined itself from the incident as the mobile phone in question was not manufactured by them. “While we have not been able to independently verify the facts of any of these reports, we can confirm that the mobile phone in question was not manufactured or sold by HMD Global, the new home of Nokia phones, set up in 2017 to create a new range of Nokia devices,” a Nokia spokesperson told the Metro.
The official statement further added, “As HMD Global, we are committed to producing high quality handsets which deliver a strong user experience and meet high customer expectations.”
Surprisingly, the Nokia 5233 mobile phone is still sold by Nokia and is currently available on Amazon.in for a price of Rs 2,999. So, if the phone is still being sold under the Nokia brand, who is actually responsible for customer support?
The police have reportedly “gathered evidence” and the victim’s body has been sent for post-mortem.
