Police have uncovered an illegal iPhone assembly factory operated by some Chinese nationals and arrested three of them from separate areas in the capital.

Detective Branch Mirpur Division Deputy Commissioner Mahiuddin Mahmud Sohel disclosed the information on at a press briefing at the DMP media centre on Thursday.

A total of 363 iPhone sets of various models along with iPhone parts and different mobile phone manufacturing machinery were recovered during the operation.

He said tipped off, DB police conducted simultaneous raids on January 7 in Uttara Sector-17 and Nikunja-1 separately.

During the raids, one Chinese national was arrested from Uttara along with 58 mobile phones sets while two other Chinese nationals were arrested from Nikunja-1 with 305 mobile phones.

DC Mahiuddin Mahmud Sohel also said preliminary investigation revealed that the gang illegally brought different iPhone parts into the country separately from abroad and set up a secret lab in Dhaka.

The parts were assembled there to produce fake mobile phones resembling iPhones which were later sold in the market as original devices.

He added that the group had been carrying out the illegal operation for around one and a half years and was suspected of supplying a large number of counterfeit mobile phones during that period.

Asked whether Bangladeshi people were involved in the syndicate, he said several names have emerged during the investigation but details could not be disclosed in the interest of probe.

The DB official urged people to remain cautious while purchasing mobile phones saying many buyers were falling victim to fraud due to the lure of low-priced ‘original iPhones.’

He advised to purchasing mobile phones only from authorised and official showrooms or trusted sources.

Police said legal action against those involved is underway.