NEW DELHI: India’s financial crime agency on Tuesday arrested four executives of Chinese smartphone maker Vivo, including one Chinese national, two sources with direct knowledge of the matter said.

The arrests add to the legal troubles of the Chinese phone maker in India, and come amid rising tensions between Beijing and New Delhi over issues ranging from border disputes to India’s increasing scrutiny of Chinese businesses and investment.

Vivo and the country’s Enforcement Directorate (ED) did not immediately respond to requests for comment made by email and phone.

The executives were arrested in relation to an ongoing 2022 case where the ED raided the company’s offices and accused it of money laundering, the sources said.

However, the company has repeatedly denied the allegations. It has previously said it cooperated with authorities to provide them with all required information and was “committed to be fully compliant with laws.”

Vivo, owned by China’s BBK Electronics, is the second biggest smartphone brand in India with a 17 per cent market share in shipments, trailing behind Samsung, according to data from research firm Counterpoint.

Sources said Vivo executives were summoned to the ED’s Delhi office for questioning, and then arrested.

In 2022, the ED blocked 119 bank accounts linked to Vivo’s India business, but a court later revoked the move. In the case, the ED alleged Vivo India transferred $7.5 billion to China illegally to “disclose huge losses” in India to avoid payment of taxes.

Indian police also have formally accused Vivo of helping transfer funds illegally to a news portal under investigation on charges of spreading Chinese propaganda, Reuters reported last week. Vivo hasn’t commented on the matter.

Relations between India and China have increasingly soured since a 2020 military clash on their disputed Himalayan border. Since then, India has banned hundreds of Chinese apps, including TikTok, citing national security concerns.

Published in Dawn, October 11th, 2023