Redmi Note 4 blast video is 'fake', says Xiaomi

NEW DELHI: The alleged video of the Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 exploding and catching fire at a store in Bengaluru turned out to be fake, the company has said in an official statement. In its statement Xiaomi said, "Recently, a video has been shared across a few news publications claiming that a Redmi Note 4 unit experienced an explosive scenario. We would like to state that this video has no relation to the concerned Redmi Note 4." The company said Arjun, the owner of the smartphone, had bought the device from Poorvika store in Bengaluru on June 1, 2017 and phone was damaged on June 17 at him home and not in the store as the video showed. Arjun has alleged that his Redmi Note 4 exploded and caught fire while inserting the SIM card. "After an internal investigation, we found that the only recent incident of a burnt Redmi Note 4 stemmed from a Bangalore based customer – Arjun. He had purchased a Redmi Note 4 from a Poorvika store in Bangalore on 1st June 2017. His phone was damaged at his home on 17th July 2017, following which he took the phone to the aforementioned Poorvika store on the same day," it said in a statement. "As soon as we were alerted to this incident, we took the device back. After a thorough technical investigation, we found out that the damage was caused due to a faulty third-party charger used by the customer. In addition, there were signs of physical damage on the phone as well." it adds. Xiaomi said despite the customer-induced damage, it worked with the store where the unit was bought, and replaced the customer's damaged unit with a brand new Redmi Note 4. "We advise our customers to only use Xiaomi authorised chargers and accessories," it said. Regarding the 'blast' video circulated widely on social media, Xiaomi said: (1) The video was attained from a random WhatsApp group, and has nothing to do with this recent Redmi Note 4 case. (2) In fact, there is no evidence in the video to suggest that the device is a Redmi Note 4 or any other Xiaomi phone. (3) The video is not from the aforementioned Poorvika store, or any other Poorvika store. On further investigation, we found that the CCTV video was from a retailer in Anamangad, Kerala. Xiaomi India only started selling devices at 3G and Fone 4 stores a few weeks ago in Kerala. (4) The CCTV video was recorded on a different date, not 1st June (when Arjun bought the phone) or 17th July (when his phone got damaged). (5) The customer in the video is not Arjun. He has confirmed to Xiaomi that the people in the video does not include or represent him or any of his relatives. Here's the video: