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<ul><li>Police have arrested a gang of three, including <keyword id="6610414" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="mohit-goel">Mohit Goel</keyword>, for extorting money. </li><li>The extortion money was to settle a gang rape case. </li><li>An amount of ₹50 million was demanded from the people involved.</li></ul>Mohit Goel, a partner in the Noida-based Ringing Bells, a company that sold the <keyword id="3247248" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Freedom-251">Freedom 251</keyword>, the world's cheapest smartphone that costs a meagre ₹251, was <a href="http://indianexpress.com/article/delhi/founder-of-rs-251-smartphone-held-for-extortion-5212209/">arrested</a> with two others in an alleged extortion case in <keyword id="6358777" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="New-Delhi">New Delhi</keyword>. Three individuals including Goel, his cousin and a woman were trying to extort money from five businessmen in order to settle a gang rape case out of court. A case was lodged by the woman with the Alwar <keyword id="44389" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="district">district</keyword> police, in Rajasthan, <keyword id="3658" type="LOCATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="India">India</keyword>, on 6 March in which she claimed she was raped by five businessmen who invited her to attend an event at a hotel. All the five accused were subsequently arrested. However, the same businessmen lodged a complaint against their accuser and her two accomplices at the Netaji Subhash Place police station for extortion.The police arrested all three for colluding and trying to take money from the businessmen in return for withdrawing the rape case. The gang had reportedly made a demand of ₹50 million from the businessman as a fee for settling the case out of courts. On 11 June, the alleged rape victim along with the accused, arrived at the businessman's office to pick up the extortion money where they were apprehended on the spot.

The man behind the world’s cheapest smartphone has been arrested for extortion

Well you would think if <keyword id="6355629" type="CITY" weightage="100" keywordseo="Google">Google</keyword> comes out with a list of top trending mobile devices, the numero uno position would be a fight for iPhone7, <keyword id="3623609" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Google-Pixel">Google Pixel</keyword> or even a Redmi Note but it’s not. The mobile device that made it to the top of the list is the <keyword id="3247248" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Freedom-251">Freedom 251</keyword>. Remember that? I bet it ‘rings a bell’. Yes, Ringing Bell was the name of the Noida-based company that launched the Freedom 251 phone. Come to think of it, it actually deserves to be the top trending device but maybe for all the wrong reasons. The launch of the phone sent the Indian consumers in a tizzy when the phone maker launched it for a mere Rs. 251! It instantly became the cheapest phone in the world but that was that. After the big announcement everything went downhill. From people not being able to place order to people struggling to get the delivery of the phone they could somehow place an order for to the company now vanishing in thin air, that's a brief history of how Freedom 251 was embroiled in controversies right from the word go. 
 
 
And of course Google’s list is only reflective of what people kept typing in the most commonly used ‘search box’ of Google. People in India could not get enough of the Freedom 251 news even after they gave up their hope to buy one! All the attention placed Freedom 251 straight on the top and no phone, hoever smart could topple it from the position, even <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/theres-a-lot-you-can-do-to-make-sure-your-iphone-battery-lasts-longer/articleshow/55983394.cms">iPhone 7</a> with its good, bad, ugly reviews couldn’t take on the Rs. 251 phone, Xiaomi’s Redmi Note 3 apparently sold out in minutes but it still couldn’t make it to the top of the list, <keyword id="2210217" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="oneplus">OnePlus</keyword> 3 was by far the most loved device of the year, well not quite, even <keyword id="10591" type="CITY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Samsung">Samsung</keyword>’s S7 burning in flames could not dethrone Freedom 251 and the first ever made by <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/8-reasons-why-Googles-Pixel-is-the-only-phone-that-stands-a-chance-to-lure-iPhone-fans-into-using-an-Android-phone/Made-by-Google-Phone/slideshow/55485431.cms">Google Pixel phone</a> could only aspire to be on the top of this list. Let’s just say that Freedom 251 has had a much more colourful year than all these otherwise popular phones. I am sure you agree with that. 
 
Just in case you are wondering what devices could not make it to the top of the Google Search list for top trending mobile devices in India, here’s the list 
 
1. Freedom 251 2. <keyword id="6354606" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="iPhone">iPhone</keyword> 7 
3. Redmi Note 3 4. <keyword id="13722" type="CITY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Lenovo">Lenovo</keyword> K4 Note 
5. Samsung J7 
6. Moto G4 
7. OnePlus 3 
8. iPhone SE 
9. Google Pixel 
10. Lenovo K5 Note 
 
Freedom at Last!

This phone left behind iPhone7 and Google Pixel to head straight to the number one position on ‘Top trending devices in 2016’ on Google search

(<keyword id="6610414" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Mohit-Goel">Mohit Goel</keyword> and the founders at the <keyword id="3247248" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Freedom-251">Freedom 251</keyword> launch event. Image credit: PTI) 
 
 
On July 8, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=mohit+goel&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Mohit Goel</a>, CEO and founder of <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/Rinmging-Bells-website-shows-no-sign-of-Freedom-251/articleshow/53113390.cms">Ringing Bells</a>, the makers of what is being touted as the world’s cheapest smartphone personally hand-delivered the first model of <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=freedom+251&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Freedom 251</a> to a surprised <keyword id="3483784" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="ankita-birla">Ankita Birla</keyword>, a 27-year-old vendor co-ordinator from <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=noida&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Noida</a>. 
 
Birla had to pay Rs 291 for the smartphone, of which Rs 40 includes a delivery charge levied by the company. Like the countless others who had placed an order for the smartphone, she too was skeptical about the phone ultimately reaching her. 
 
 
(Mohit Goel hand-delivering the first model of Freedom 251 to Ankita Birla. Image credit: Indiatimes) 
 
 
“I never thought the company would deliver,” she admitted, echoing the thoughts of the entire <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=indian+smartphone+market&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Indian smartphone market</a>. Her suspicions were only reinforced by all the controversies the company was mired in- from being accused of being a fraud and defaulting on vendor payments to relabeling an existing brand and demanding Rs 50,000 crore from the <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=indian+government&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Indian government</a> to continue its production. 
 
Twenty-nine-year-old Goel, on the other hand is unperturbed and took the opportunity to silence his critics. “Everyone had already declared that I was running a Ponzi scheme. Despite being branded as a fraudster, I did deliver what I promised. With Freedom 251, I proved that it’s possible to make a smartphone n this kind of investment,” he said. 
 
However, Goel’s claim of delivering what he promised- a smartphone, which comes with a quad-core processor, a four-inch screen and front and back cameras- at Rs 251 is a bit premature and should be taken with a pinch of salt, given the unanswered questions plaguing the company, unfulfilled deliveries and its recent plea for government support. 
 
Initially in February, the company had said that it was in a position to deliver 20 lakh handsets by June 30. That stance quickly changed when more than 70 million people jostled to register online for the phone leading to the website crashing in just three days. 
 
That was followed by an incident where the media was given handsets which turned out to be a Chinese-made phone whose brand name- Adcom- had been covered up with white paint on the front, and a sticker hid it on the rear. 
 
The widespread furore also resulted in protests outside the company’s headquarters, multiple enquiries by the police, tax authorities and the enforcement directorate. 
 <keyword id="6428840" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Ringing-Bells">Ringing Bells</keyword> then refunded the deposits it had taken from more than 30,000 people on the internet and announced that buyers could pay for Freedom 251 with cash upon delivery. The company also added that it would fulfil 2 lakh deliveries out of the 70 million orders that they had received, stating that the first phase would start from July 8 and 5,000 units would be sent out for deliveries. 
 Then on July 7, a day before the delivery was set to begin, the company hosted a fresh launch event in Delhi, reiterating the fact that Freedom 251 is very much real. Goel also used the platform to launch a <keyword id="3475081" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="freedom-led-tv">Freedom LED TV</keyword> at Rs 9990 and six new phones- four of them being feature phones. 
 
 
(Ringing Bells launching their latest offering- Freedom LED TV. Image credit: PTI) 
 
 
He then made a shocking <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/Freedom-251-makers-seek-Rs-50000-crore-from-the-government-after-facing-losses/articleshow/53088935.cms">last minute plea to the Indian government for Rs 50,000 crores</a>. 
 
In a letter written to the Prime Minister's Office dated June 28 asking for a meeting with <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=narendra+modi&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Narendra Modi</a> , Ringing Bells said: "We have brought 'Freedom 251' which we offer on 'Cash on Delivery' terms but we have a gap between the BOM (Bill of Materials) and the Selling Price. We, therefore, humbly request government support to actualise the objective to cascade the availability and usage of <keyword id="6354775" type="TECHNOLOGY" weightage="100" keywordseo="Smartphones">smartphones</keyword> all through the far reaches of our great nation." 
 According to Goel, he had initially faced a loss of Rs 930 on each handset for which parts were imported from <keyword id="46274" type="COUNTRY" weightage="100" keywordseo="Taiwan">Taiwan</keyword>. 
 
"I recovered Rs. 700-800 from app developers and from the revenue generated through advertisements on the Freedom 251 website. After selling the device for Rs. 251 (cash on delivery), the total loss per handset is expected to be in the range of Rs. 180-270," Goel claimed. 
He further added that if the government is willing to dole out that amount, he can ensure that 750 million of India's population would become part of digital India by owning a smartphone at Rs. 251. 
 
If that wasn’t all, Goel also announced that 90% of the proceeds of the sale would go to charity right after he admitted that Ringing Bells is a loss-making venture due to Freedom 251 and that the company would take slightly more time to deliver on its bookings apart from seeking government support to do the same. 
 
 
(Mohit Goel with a Freedom 251 handset. Image credit: PTI) 
 
 
At this point, we have umpteen questions- the chief being- if we were to assume that Ringing Bells is indeed cash-starved and in dire need of government support, how does Goel explain getting the money required to launch six new phones and a LED TV? It should also be noted that the company claimed to already have 1lakh units of the cheap Freedom LED TV in stock. 
 
To this, Goel replies that his assembly partners and his distributors have invested in the company making the production of the LED TV and other devices possible. “We are looking to make 15% profit on the LED TVS,” he added. 
 
While the company’s befuddling maths especially, the one justifying the Rs 251 tag never made sense, as most industry experts maintained that the cheapest variant of a phone with these kind of specs should cost Rs 2,500 at least, Goel’s recent claim of Ringing Bells giving away 90% of its proceeds to charity is also devoid of all logic. 
 
How can a company reeling in losses and desperately seeking Rs 50,000 crores from the Indian government afford to make any claims of charity? 
 
That’s not even the scariest part. The most outrageous part of the entire Freedom 251 episode is that none of the founders of Ringing Bells (including Goel) have any technology background. 
 
 
(Mohit Goel sits in the Ringing Bells office with the company's latest phone offerings. Image credit: BBC) 
 
 
This begs the most important question- What exactly is the Ringing Bells end-game? 
 
A common theory floating around is that the company is okay with making losses on Freedom 251 as long as it is making a splash in the market (which by the looks of it, it successfully is). A few months later, it will start introducing other high-end devices- including LED TVs and smartphones and look to selling them well due to their already established name in the market. 
 
(At the time of publication of this article Ringing Bells had already shipped 4,240 units, The remaining 760 units are in the process of being shipped to Uttar Pradesh, where Goel himself intends to visit some cities)

The truth about Ringing Bells, the makers of the world’s cheapest smartphone at Rs 251

A few months back, around mid-February, a relatively unknown <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=noida&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Noida</a>-based <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=startup&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">startup</a> called <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=ringing+bells&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Ringing Bells</a> made the headlines for claiming to introduce India’s <keyword id="3248122" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="cheapest-smartphone">cheapest smartphone</keyword>. 
 
The smartphone named ‘<a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=freedom+251&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Freedom 251</a>’ which was priced at just Rs 250 could be ordered online on the <keyword id="6428840" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Ringing-Bells">Ringing Bells</keyword> website and the company promised to deliver 25 lakh handsets by June 30. 
 
However, what the company didn’t foresee was the unprecedented number of orders they would receive from people across the country wanting a taste of the cheapest smartphone on offer. 
 
As a result, Ringing Bells received over seven crore registrations leading to the payment gateway crashing within three days and the plan being put on hold. 
 
The company came decided to bounce back with a new plan and the second time around they claimed to start the first phase of deliveries with 5,000 handsets which would be sent to a ‘lucky few’ on July 8. The second phase of deliveries would soon follow. 
 When asked how would the company decide the 5,000 people out of the seven crore registrations, <keyword id="6610414" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Mohit-Goel">Mohit Goel</keyword>, CEO, Ringing Bells Pvt Ltd claimed that the same would be done via a lucky draw that would take place on July 7 when the company launches their flagship <keyword id="3475081" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="freedom-led-tv">Freedom LED TV</keyword> and six new phones. 
 At the event yesterday, we did see the launch of the Freedom LED TV, which Goel claims is the cheapest TV around at Rs 9,990 and the six new phones, each bearing an unusual name, but what we didn’t witness was the so-called lucky draw that would have decided the 5,000 people who would have received their <keyword id="3247248" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Freedom-251">Freedom 251</keyword> handsets today. 
 
Moreover, when you go to the Ringing Bells website- there’s also no sign of Freedom 251 on their landing page, which instead advertises the new devices and the LED TV, clearly indicating that the company has shifted its focus from Freedom 251. 
 
The only mention of the phone is hidden in the ‘Our Products’ section, which basically highlights the basic features and specs of the phone- but keeps mum on the delivery dates. One doesn’t have the option to buy the phone either. 
 
 
For a company that became a household name due to the hype created about Freedom 251, it’s quite suspicious that their website shows no sign of the phone which could also seem like the company and its CEO are washing their hands off the handset. 
 
On being asked about the same, Goel is quick to add that they will deliver the Freedom 251 phones. "We've advertised our new phones on the website's home page because they need publicity and word of mouth," he insisted. 
 
But when we inquired whether the company intended to let people know the status of their deliveries today, Goel refused to comment. 
 
Additionally, the fact that he has officially admitted that Ringing Bells is a loss-making venture due to Freedom 251 and has approached the Government for help to the tune of a whopping Rs 50,000 crore does little to instill faith about Freedom 251 getting to see the light of the day. 
 
In a letter written to the Prime Minister's Office dated June 28 asking for a meeting with <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=narendra+modi&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Narendra Modi</a> , Ringing Bells said: "We have brought 'Freedom 251' which we offer on 'Cash on Delivery' terms but we have a gap between the BOM (Bill of Materials) and the Selling Price. We, therefore, humble request government support to actualise the objective to cascade the availability and usage of <keyword keytype="Technology" keywordseo="smartphones" smid="0" usetype="2">smartphones</keyword> all through the far reaches of our great nation." 
 
The question thus remains, will the seven crore people who’ve registered for Freedom 251 get to own the cheapest phone in the country?

Ringing Bells website shows
no sign of ‘Freedom 251’ even as deliveries are to start today

<a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=ringing+bells&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Ringing Bells</a>, the <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=noida&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Noida</a> based <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=startup&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">startup</a> that claimed to give the country its cheapest smartphone aptly called <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=freedom+251&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Freedom 251</a> (priced at Rs 250) will finally start sending out the first batch of 5000 devices for delivery come July 8. 
 
To get the phone, a receiver is required to pay Rs 290, which will include Rs 40 as delivery charges. 
 
However, all’s not well with the makers as the company is facing an unprecedented amount of losses. 
 According to <keyword id="6610414" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Mohit-Goel">Mohit Goel</keyword>, CEO, <keyword id="6428840" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Ringing-Bells">Ringing Bells</keyword> Pvt Ltd, initially he faced a loss of Rs 930 on each handset for which parts were imported from <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=taiwan&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Taiwan</a>. 
 "I recovered Rs. 700-800 from app developers and revenue generated through advertisements on <keyword id="3247248" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Freedom-251">Freedom 251</keyword> website. After selling the device for Rs. 251 (cash on delivery), the total loss per handset is expected to be in the range of Rs. 180-270," Goel claimed while talking to IANS. 
 
Goel only ray of hope at the moment is government support. 
 
In a letter written to the Prime Minister's Office dated June 28 asking for a meeting with <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=narendra+modi&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Narendra Modi</a>, Ringing Bells said: "We have brought 'Freedom 251' which we offer on 'Cash on Delivery' terms but we have a gap between the BOM (Bill of Materials) and the Selling Price. We, therefore, humble request government support to actualise the objective to cascade the availability and usage of <keyword id="6354775" type="TECHNOLOGY" weightage="100" keywordseo="Smartphones">smartphones</keyword> all through the far reaches of our great nation." 
 
To put it simply, he’s asking for a whopping Rs 50,000 crores from the government to continue producing the cheapest smartphone. He says, if the government is willing to dole out that amount, he can ensure that 750 million of India's population would become part of <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=digital+india&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">digital India</a> by owning a smartphone at Rs. 251. 
 
 
 
He puts another alternative in front of the government as well- Goel is also onboard if instead of giving his company the money, the government gets the phones manufactured by another vendor. 
 "The government can make the phone - under our Freedom brand - from some other vendor. I have no objection to it. To make such phone for every Indian citizen, the government needs to allocate funds from its <keyword id="1929810" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Digital-India">Digital India</keyword> initiative," he said. 
 
According to Goel, he has already proved that a smartphone is actually possible in this kind of investment. “But to fulfill a mammoth handset order that runs in crores, we badly need government's support," he added. 
 
After delivering 5,000 phones in the first batch, Goel says he will wait for customers' feedback. "I am ready with 500 service centres pan-India to address people's queries," he claimed. 
 
Around mid-February, the company had planned to deliver 25 lakh handsets before June 30. However that plan was put on hold when they received over seven core registrations leading to its payment gateway crashing within just three days. 
 
The 3G device has a 1.3GHz quad-core processor, 1GB of RAM and 8GB of internal memory and supports external memory cards of up to 32GB. 
 
The company has offered an 8MP primary camera with flash, a 3.2MP front camera and a 1,800 mAh battery. It runs on Android 5.1 (Lollipop). The phone would be available in two colours - black and white. 
 
The device displays the Indian Tricolour when you switch it on. It will also incorporate all the basic Google apps in the handset.

Freedom 251 makers seek Rs 50,000 crore from the government
after facing losses

The government is monitoring <keyword id="6428840" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Ringing-Bells">Ringing Bells</keyword>, which has announced launching the world's cheapest smartphone, and will take action if the company fails to deliver the Rs 251 handset, Telecom Minister <keyword id="6354886" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Ravi-Shankar-Prasad">Ravi Shankar Prasad</keyword> said today. 
 
"Our Ministry enquired into how prepared they (Ringing Bells) are, whether they can provide a phone for Rs 251 or not. Whether they have the BIS certificate or not, we have spoken to them," Prasad told reporters here. 
 
He added that this was done to ensure that there are no discrepancies later. 
 
"If there are any, we will take action as per the law. Our department is keeping a watch," he said. 
 
A new entrant in the flourishing Indian mobile handset market, Ringing Bells last week unveiled what is being touted as the world's cheapest smartphone. However, concerns have been raised by the industry on feasibility of a 3G smartphone at such a low price. 
 
Ringing Bells has said the manufacturing cost of the phone is is about Rs 2,500, which will be recovered through a series of measures like economies of scale, innovative marketing, reduction in duties and creating an e-commerce marketplace. 
 
The I-T Department is also looking into the financial structure of the company and has obtained documents, including those from the Registrar of Companies (RoC), in this regard. 
 
A series of complaints were made to the Telecom Ministry against the company. Apart from BJP MP Kirit Somaiya, the Indian Kirit Somaiya, the Indian Cellular Association (representative of mobile handset manufacturers) had also approached the Ministry asking it to get into depth of the issue. 
 
They said the price of the device with the said specifications could not be below Rs 3,500 even after a subsidised sale. 
 
There was also a controversy around the Noida-based firm showcasing a rival company Adcom's handset as its own. 
 
Despite the controversies, Ringing Bells managed to receive over 6 crore registrations in two days. 
 
Image credit: Indiatimes

Ringing Bells will face action if it fails to deliver Freedom 251 phones, says Ravi Shankar Prasad

<a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Ringing+Bells">Ringing Bells</a> Director <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Mohit+Goel">Mohit Goel</a> said on Friday that he had met his target of 25 lakh initial bookings of <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Freedom+251">Freedom 251</a>. That's an upfront payment of almost Rs 73 Crores! 
 
As income tax officers and cops thronged the office in Noida Sector 63, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Mohit+Goel">Goel</a>, who is yet to begin manufacturing the phone, said he didn't want the money generated from online bookings till he delivered the phone at the end of April. "If need be, we will also keep <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Mohit+Goel">Goel</a>'s documents and passport with us till he delivers," DSP Anoop Singh said. 
 The telecom ministry said a phone with the specifications of <keyword id="3247248" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="80" keywordseo="Freedom-251">Freedom 251</keyword> would cost about Rs 2,300 and not Rs 251.Touted as the world's cheapest smartphone at Rs 251, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Freedom+251">Freedom 251</a> has taken the country by storm.

25 lakh bookings, yet no Freedom
251 to be seen!

<keyword id="6428840" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Ringing-Bells">Ringing Bells</keyword>, which is selling world’s cheapest smartphone at Rs 251, claimed it received 30,000 confirmed orders and over six lakh hits before the site crashed on first day of the bookings. 
 
Pre-booking started at 6 am on Thursday and stopped by mid-day after the website crashed due to overwhelming response. 
 
Ringing Bells director Mohit Goel claimed 30,000 orders were booked on the first day. 
 
"We are not hiding anything. The money collected is being kept in an escrow account and the company won't get the funds till the deliveries are done. Orders will be taken for a maximum of 25 lakh phones online and another 25 lakh offline. We are promising 100% deliveries to all 50 lakh bookings by June 30, starting from April," said Goel. 
 
Meanwhile, the telecom ministry is keeping a close watch on the sales of the Noida-based Ringing Bells phone. 
 
"An initial internal assessment of the ministry shows the price of the smartphone can't be less than Rs 2,300 but the government won't step in for now unless there's a proven case of wrongdoing,” ET quoted a person as saying. 
 
Meanwhile, Mohit Goel, who is rolling out the world’s cheapest smartphone, belongs from Shamli district of Uttar Pradesh. 
 
Mohit is the managing director of Ringing Bells and often helped his father at the grocery shop. 
 
Mohit has done engineering from Amity University. 
 
(Image: Indiatimes)

World’s cheapest smartphone maker Ringing Bells under close watch; Website gets over 6 lakh hits on Day 1

<a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Ringing+Bells">Ringing Bells</a>, the company that launched '<a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Freedom251">Freedom 251</a>', the world's cheapest smartphone at an unbelievable Rs 251 has stopped taking orders for 24 hours due to overload. 
 
The Noida-based company launched the smartphone yesterday. Bookings started today morning at 0600 hrs. 
 
"Dear friends, we are very grateful for your enormous response and your kind patronage and would submit that as of now we received approx. Six Lacs hits per second as a result of your kind overwhelming response, servers are over loaded," <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Freedom251">Freedom251</a> said on its website. 
 
"We humbly submit that we are therefore taking a pause and upgrading the service and will revert within or before 24 hours," it added. 
 The company has been set up five months ago by Amity University graduate <keyword id="3250964" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="80" keywordseo="Mohit-Kumar-Goel">Mohit Kumar Goel</keyword>. He launched the Freedom 251 at an event attended by BJP veteran Murli Manohar Joshi. 
 
Image credit: Indiatimes

Ringing Bells stops taking
orders for 24 hrs for Freedom251

The <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=smartphone">smartphone </a>revolution is here, ladies and gentlemen. 
 
Piggybanking on Prime Minister <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=narendra+modi">Narendra Modi’s</a> <keyword id="6354869" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="make-in-India">Make in India</keyword> initiative, a Noida based startup, <keyword id="6428840" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Ringing-Bells">Ringing Bells</keyword> is launching India’s most affordable <keyword id="28168" type="TECHNOLOGY" weightage="100" keywordseo="Smartphone">smartphone</keyword> today. 
 Called the ‘<keyword id="3247248" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Freedom-251">Freedom 251</keyword>,’ the phone is priced at Rs 251 and Defence Minister <keyword id="6363133" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Manohar-Parrikar">Manohar Parrikar</keyword> is expected to grace the occasion. 
 
Bookings for the Freedom 251 will start from Thursday 18 February from 6.00 am in the morning and will close on 21 February at 8.00 pm. This is a dual-SIM 3G capable phone. 
 
 
 
Other features include a 4-inch WVGA resolution display, features a 1.3 Ghz quad-core processor, 1GB RAM, 8GB total storage space and a 3.2 megapixel camera on the back. It also has a 0.3 megapixel camera on the front and has a 1450 mAh battery. 
 
The company also claimed the device comes with touchless technology which it believes is ideal for selfies. There is a 3G radio as well. Not surprisingly, the phone also comes pre-installed with apps such as Swachh Bharat, Women Safety, Fisherman, Farmer, Medical, Google Play, WhatsApp, Facebook, Twitter among others. 
 
The vision is to “Empower citizens, even in the remotest rural and semi-urban centres of India, with the latest in digital technology at incredible affordable prices and cascade knowledge, news and current issues so that all experience the confidence of inclusive growth and equal opportunity – In short, innovative solutions for a brighter tomorrow,” Ringing Bells further added. 
 
Started last year, Ringing Bells consists of a little over 20 employees and is a new entrant in the Indian mobile phone market, Recently, it had launched one of India’s cheapest 4G smartphone at Rs 2,999, apart from launching two other feature phones in the market. 
 
Granted that the launched of a smartphone way under Rs 500 is evidence of the boom in the Indian smartphone market, but it also raises quite a lot of questions with regards to the possibility of it triggering a price war, long-terms plans of the company and basic logistics. 
 
At present, the cheapest smartphone available in the market is is the Firefox OS-based Alcatel Fire C, priced at Rs.1,729, as the smartphone announced by Data Wind, the makers of Aakash tablets, and telecom operator Reliance Communications based on the Linux OS for Rs.999 hasn’t rolled out yet. The question remains, will it be able to stand the test of time? 
 
According to a media invite sent by the firm, the launch stands as a true testimony of success of the latest initiatives taken by the Government of India. 
 
Image credit: Indiatimes

Believe it or not: Ringing Bells launched India’s
cheapest smartphone at Rs 251!

<keyword id="6428840" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Ringing-Bells">Ringing Bells</keyword> made headlines because of the unbelievable price of the smartphones it was offering. It was rolling out Freedom 251 for just Rs 251. But now founder of Ringing Bells <keyword id="6610414" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Mohit-Goel">Mohit Goel</keyword>, the boy from Shamli, has quit. 
 
Goel was the managing director of the company ans has started another company, MDM Electronics. His wife Dhaarna, who was a director in Ringing Bells, has also quit. 
 
Goel’s brother Anmol is now in charge of Ringing Bells, the company confirmed in a release, adding he would take care of its liabilities. 
 
However, no clear indications regarding the way forward were given and that left dealers who have taken advances to distribute the phone, named Freedom 251, anxious. 
 
Mohit and Dhaarna have given no explanation for leaving. 
 
The office of Ringing Bells in Noida's Sector 62 has been locked for the past two weeks. 
 
After Freedom 251 was announced, seven crore people registered for it and 30,000 people made advance payments. Facing immense pressure, but without a manufacturing facility for the phones, the company reportedly refunded the advance and tweaked the plan to make it a cash-on-delivery offer. Dealerships were opened all over the country with advances to sell the phone. 
 <keyword id="170452" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Prem-Prakash">Prem Prakash</keyword>, who had paid cash in advance to procure the phones and distribute them, said he had not received any communication about the next step. Prakash had a Freedom 251dealership in Noida's Bhangel area. 
 
"I have shut down my shop as I did not know how to answer people who gave us money . We had given money to Ringing Bells. We did not go to police as they gave us a cheque dated December 31, 2016. Now, they have gone missing," Prakash told ET. 
 <keyword id="4010179" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="devdutta-malhotra">Devdutta Malhotra</keyword>, a Ringing Bells dealer in <keyword id="44991" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Ghaziabad">Ghaziabad</keyword>, said Goel still owes him Rs 16 lakh. "Initially he owed me Rs 25 lakh, then he returned some money and said he would come back and repay everything. But now we hear that the company has been dissolved and a new company is being formed by the founders of Ringing Bells. I'm still waiting for my Rs 16 lakh," he told ET.

Founder of Ringing Bells, company that promised Freedom 251 smartphone at Rs 251, quits

<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image">Ringing BellsThe Freedom 251 smartphone will cost just $7.</div></div></div>Indian smartphone company Ringing Bells is preparing to launch a new phone that costs just $7 (£4.83), <a href="http://www.androidcentral.com/indian-brand-going-launch-7-smartphone-week">Android Central reports</a>.The Freedom 251 smartphone is expected to launch tomorrow, and shows just how cheap Android phones can be.Companies like Xiaomi have been producing low-cost Android phones for years now, although the company's devices sell for around £200.Low-cost parts mean that it's possible for manufacturers like Ringing Bells to produce extremely cheap Android phones.Android Central reports that the smartphone's launch is endorsed by the Indian government as part of its Make In India programme, a scheme designed to showcase India's home-grown innovations. <div class="margin-top"> <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/iphone-6s-battery-percentage-time-change-zone-steve-jobs-apple-tim-cook-2016-1">Why your iPhone 6s battery might die before it reaches 0%</a></h3> <div> <div> <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="AxaTRmMDE6TW9x7it_Fx1tZpf6Ljx6fe" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div> </div> </div> </div>

A company in India is releasing a $7 smartphone

Domestic handset maker <keyword id="6428840" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Ringing-Bells">Ringing Bells</keyword> will launch India's most affordable smartphone for under Rs 500 later this week, a move that is set to disrupt the booming handset market in the country. The launch is in line with Prime Minister <keyword id="6354477" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Narendra-Modi">Narendra Modi</keyword>'s vision for "empowering India to the last person, transforming India's growth story", the Noida-based company said. Defence Minister <keyword id="6363133" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Manohar-Parrikar">Manohar Parrikar</keyword> will launch the smartphone 'Freedom 251' on February 17. 

	"The phone will be popularly priced at under Rs 500... this event and launch stands as a true testimony of success of the latest initiatives taken by the Government of India," according to a media invite sent by the firm.
 At present, smartphones available in the market are priced around Rs 1,500. Last year, <keyword id="794041" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Datawind">DataWind</keyword> had announced that it is teaming up with Anil Ambani-owned <keyword id="46907" type="CITY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Reliance-communications">Reliance Communications</keyword> (RCOM) to launch the world's most affordable smartphone, priced at Rs 999. The phone is yet to hit the market. 

	Established last year, Ringing Bells will start with the assembly of handsets in Phase-I and aims at full indigenous development of the feature-rich smartphones, it said.
 

	It did not disclose any other details about manufacturing, products and pricing.
 A new entrant in the Indian mobile phone market, Ringing Bells had launched one of India's cheapest <keyword id="818919" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="4G-smartphone">4G smartphone</keyword> at Rs 2,999, recently. It has launched two other feature phones in the market. 

	India, one of the fastest growing smartphone markets globally, is poised to overtake the US as the second-largest market in next few years.
 In the last few months, global smartphone makers, including the likes of <keyword id="874458" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Xiaomi">Xiaomi</keyword>, <keyword id="11148" type="CITY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Motorola">Motorola</keyword> and <keyword id="1188106" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Gionee">Gionee</keyword> have commenced assembling their handsets in India, where the government is pushing local manufacturing through its Make in India initiative.

India to get its cheapest smartphone soon, Noida company says it costs even less than Rs 500!

<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/la_farfalla_22/6649582435/">Varvara/Flickr (CC)</a></div></div></div>Good morning! Here's the tech news you need to know this Thursday.1. <a href="http://uk.businessinsider.com/apple-challenges-fbi-demand-to-hack-into-san-bernadino-shooter-iphone-5c-court-order-2016-2">Apple says it will challenge a court order to help the FBI unlock an iPhone.</a> A US judge ordered the Cupertino company to help "hack" into a smartphone, prompting a furious response.2. <a href="http://uk.businessinsider.com/sundar-pichai-responds-to-apple-case-2016-2">Google CEO Sundar Pichai says the Apple-FBI case could set a "dangerous precedent."</a> He's worried about the consequences of forcing companies to hack their customers.3. <a href="http://uk.businessinsider.com/theres-an-anonymous-group-of-amazon-employees-to-complain-about-the-company-and-they-want-to-unionize-2016-2">Some Amazon employees are threatening to unionise.</a> A website called FACE is bringing together current and former disaffected Amazon employees.4. <a href="http://uk.businessinsider.com/powa-technologies-loan-wellington-staff-payments-2016-2">A £1.8 billion London tech "unicorn" just got a cash injection but can't pay its staff on time. </a>Powa Technologies is struggling to make payroll.5. <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/google-experimental-broadband-networks-test-in-kansas-city-2016-2">We just got a new hint about Google's plans to beam super-fast internet to your home.</a> A new filing in Kansas City says Google might switch to using wireless technology to deliver internet to nearby houses.6. <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/san-francisco-pro-apple-rally-2016-2">The first rally to support Apple's fight with the FBI has taken place at an Apple Store in San Francisco.</a> Privacy activists are coming out in support of the US tech giant.7. <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/indias-brand-new-5-smartphone-is-being-accused-of-ripping-off-apple-2016-2">India's brand new $5 (£3.50) smartphone is being accused of ripping off Apple.</a> The Freedom 251 apparently looks very similar to the iPhone.8. <a href="http://recode.net/2016/02/17/if-its-wednesday-its-layoffs-day-at-yahoo-today-digital-magazines-get-hit/">Yahoo is closing several of its news verticals. </a>Re/code reports that Yahoo Tech, Yahoo Auto, Yahoo Health, and Yahoo Parenting are among those in the firing line.9. <a href="http://googletranslate.blogspot.co.uk/2016/02/from-amharic-to-xhosa-introducing.html">Google Translate now covers 99% of the online population.</a> It can translate 103 different languages, Google says.10. <a href="http://www.buzzfeed.com/alexkantrowitz/soon-individuals-will-be-able-to-publish-instant-articles-an">Facebook is throwing open the floodgates on its Instant Articles feature.</a> Soon, anyone will be able to use the feature to publish stories - and get paid. <div class="margin-top"> <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/fontus-bottle-makes-water-out-of-air-2016-1">This bottle makes water out of air</a></h3> <div> <div> <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="xjY3JqMDE6iEBOXfn7qux_xlGQKCHKAC" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div> </div> </div> </div>

You Searched For "Freedom251" and got 14 results

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