Freedom 251: Will Ringing Bells ever deliver the Rs 251 smartphone?

Zee Media Bureau/Rd. Alexander

New Delhi: For the fifth time, Ringing Bells Pvt Ltd has deferred the delivery date of it's Freedom 251 phone.

In doing so, the company has only added fuel to the doubts of the public as to whether the company would ever deliver the smartphone.

Ever since its launched in February this year, the world's cheapest smartphone at just Rs 251 and its manufacturer, the Ringing Bells and CEO Mohit Goel have been under the scanner of the public and various investigating agencies including the the IT Department and Enforcement Directorate.

While an FIR was filed against Mohit Goel, he was also questioned by the ED in the same case with the government stating that it would take action against the company if it failed to deliver the phones.

Amidst all these, the company said it plans to deliver 25 lakh handsets of the Freedom 251 phone starting April till June 30.

However, the delivery date was shifted to May, and then to June 28 which was again shifted to June 30.

According to reports, Mohit Goel said the company was ready with 200,000 units of Freedom 251 phones and that the devices would will be delivered starting June 30 till July 5.

However, on Wednesday (June 29), just a day before the start of delivery date, the company said that the delivery of the Rs 251 smartphone will finally start on July 6 and not June 30 as announced earlier.

According to IANS, the company said they were trying to meet PM Narendra Modi to seek support for the phone under the Make In India initiative.

And while the company has changed the delivery date for the fifth time, what is also interesting is that no one has actually seen the device.

The one used during the launch event in February?

IT products firm Adcom claims it sold them to Ringing Bells for Rs 3,600.

And all these raises few questions: Will Ringing Bells ever deliver the Freedom 251? Does the phone really exist? Will the real Freedom 251 phone please stand up?

One will have to wait for July 6 to asnwer the questions.