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Bloomberg
An Indian state agency released nearly 27,000 Vivo Mobile Communications smartphones for export after withholding the shipment for more than a week over alleged rule violations.
The federal finance ministry’s revenue intelligence unit allowed the Chinese company to collect the devices it was holding at the New Delhi Airport over an alleged mis-declaration of phone models and their value, people familiar with the matter said, asking not to be named discussing a sensitive matter. Vivo had sought to export the devices to neighbouring markets.
The government agency passed the order to release the smartphones a day after Bloomberg News reported that the devices were being withheld for inspection. It wasn’t immediately clear if the revenue intelligence unit will be pressing charges against Vivo.
The shipment, worth nearly $15 million, is unlikely to be exported as the packaging of many of the phones was damaged and the devices were switched on to check unique ID numbers, the people said.
The finance ministry and Vivo didn’t respond to emailed requests for comment.