Counterfeit Mi India Products Worth Rs 33.3 Lakh Seized in Bengaluru, Chennai, Here’s How You Can Identify Fake Xiaomi Products

Counterfeit Mi India products worth Rs. 33.3 lakh were seized from four suppliers in Chennai and three in Bengaluru, Xiaomi said in a mailed statement. The raids were conducted in October and November, and seven people are currently held in custody for selling the allegedly unauthorised products, as per the company's statement. The counterfeit products were being sold by retailers in the two cities.

Over 3,000 products consisting of mobile back cases, headphones, power banks, chargers, and earphones were found, said the company in a statement. Fake Xiaomi India products worth Rs. 24.9 lakhs were recovered from Bengaluru, and 8.4 lakhs from Chennai.

Shop owners from both the cities were arrested for allegedly selling the fake Mi India products. Xiaomi said that upon interrogation, it was found that the suppliers had been managing this business for a long time, and had sold multiple unauthorized products in the market.

How to identify counterfeit Xiaomi products

To help customers identify counterfeit products, Xiaomi listed out a few tips. Some products, such as Mi powerbanks and all audio products, carry security codes that can be checked on the company's website to identify the authenticity of the product. Xiaomi said that the packaging and quality of retail boxes are very different, and customers can visit Mi Home or Mi Stores to validate the original packaging.

The company further advised customers to check for the original Mi India Logo on the product to know if it is authorised; the original logo of the packaging is available on the company's website to check. Besides that, Xiaomi said that all authorised fitness products such as the Mi Bands will have the Mi Fit app compatibility. Lastly, unauthorised cables are often flimsy and break easily, said the company.

Xiaomi India said in the statement that it had created a special task force responsible for constantly monitoring the market and acting against unauthorised entities and counterfeiters. The company also advised customers to purchase products from authorised stores of the brand and partner outlets, and get phone services done through authorised service centres only.

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