Guwahati, Sep 26 (IANS) ‘Bombile’ is the latest phrase terrorizing Assam with reports of mobile phones suddenly exploding, causing the user to become unconscious. The mysterious phenomenon has prompted Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi to order a scientific probe to unravel the bizarre occurrences.
An estimated 30 cases have been reported so far with more than 20 people admitted to various hospitals in Assam during the past one week. Most of the victims complained of nausea and a splitting headache, and some of them had to be literally wheeled into the hospital unconscious after the mobile handsets exploded soon after receiving a call.
‘This is a mysterious phenomenon and so I have asked for a thorough probe by experts to find out the cause as to why mobile handsets are bursting in such a large number,’ Gogoi told IANS. At least 10 such cases were brought to the notice of the police – although no cases were registered as the officials were perplexed, not knowing what to do.
According to witnesses and victims, the explosions took place soon after receiving calls from numbers that appeared in red on the handset screens.
‘I got a phone call from an unknown number and I noticed on my handset that the numbers were highlighted in red colour. Soon after I received the call, there was a loud sound and I was left unconscious,’ said Mujib Ali, the driver of a doctor in Guwahati.
Ali’s handset was blown to bits Saturday.
What mystery? They’re using cheap knock-off batteries.
Waiting for someone to blame Obama.
red text, electric shock. sounds like total BS or someone lost a draft SciFi story and it was taken for a true story.
After watching Eagle Eye last evening this seems to be the most LOGICAL explanation.
Chinese battery technology … we explode you long time.
You know, it would be nice if someone could have snapped a photo of one of these “blown up” phones.
There is a psychological term for these fake mass hysteria problems. Usually it happens with poison gas scares, a rumor gets started and people literally freak themselves out to the point of sickness. There is a really famous example of this wish I could an article on it right now but I’m drawing a blank.
Where’s the Sify Bullshitometer when you need it?
If you are holding a handset up against the side of your head and the battery blows up you just might inhale some toxic/acrid gas. On the other hand the blast could not have been all that powerful or somebody would have said something about hands being damaged.
With the Toyota recall for won’t stop some people were hoping to cash in or at least find an excuse for bad driving.
Pictures would have been nice.
#5 The latest term is “mass psychogenic illness” or “MPI.”
Fort Worth
Matoon
Salem
Tansazania
Faux News
I call BS.
Scare tactic to keep the FAITHFUL, from jumping into the 21st century?
I think ECA has it right.
We can’t have the slaves using modern tech can we, they all need to be hit in the mouth and forced back to working in their low paying slave-jobs answering the phones in call-centers.
Are those Verizon Shoe-Phones ?
I have the same memory as Ah_Yeah — this has happened before and it was knock-off batteries.
Who’s the babe? She’s *HOT*
#13. She is Agent 99. Played by Barbara Feldon. http://j.mp/9FV1bC
What! no Israel jokes they invented exploding cell phones.
I want my own shoe-phone.
I can just hear Adam Curry on Thursday’s No Agenda blaming this on the CIA testing a new weapon.
The problem with crackpots like Adam, they assign far too much intelligence to the “bad guy”.
There could be a way to over power the phone..
BUT, its not going to be THAT noticeable.
You could, SEND a signal to the person to receive a call, then Over power the Phone..
I think it would MELT/SMOKE before it would exploding.
#15 – The Chinese made the exploding cellphone; the Israelis just realised its use as a weapon
Yeah, blame it on some fictional terrorists, that target random people, in some country nobody’s ever heard of. Rather than the maker of the batteries or phone. Sounds like news spinning the truth, to protect the manufacturer. The same way the “friendly missile” fire red herring story was used to protect Boeing, the maker of the TWA Flight 800, back in 1996, that exploded from a gas tank problem after leaving NY. Kept their stock from plunging, and them from being sued by the victims’ families, for months.
I’m thinking that this is largely what mainstream news is all about these days. Spinning to protect somebody’s stock prices from sudden drops.
what are the odds, of using a Focused Microwave?
Cellphone isnt Active until in receive mode, and a focused beam, COULD cause problems, esp. if it ignites the magnesium in the phone.
In many countries the Chinese have flooded the market with cheap low quality knock-offs of popular name brand cellphones.
one symptom is the exploding battery, since many of those phones will barely hold a charge due to the poor quality of the batteries, and they are more likely to short out internally. Lithium batteries are like little M80 firecrackers.