JAKARTA, Indonesia – The outgoing country director of Canada’s Research In Motion is a suspect in last month’s stampede at a BlackBerry promotion in Indonesia, police said Monday.
Several people fainted and dozens were injured at the Nov. 25 debut of RIM’s (TSX:RIM) BlackBerry Bold 9790 in Jakarta.
Police spokesman Col. Baharudin Djafar said Canadian Andrew Cobham was among four suspects who could face charges of negligence leading to injury.
The crime carries a maximum penalty of nine months in prison.
The Jakarta Post reported that Cobham had been barred from leaving the country. It said the ban also applies to Terry Burki, a security consultant hired by the company.
The $540 phones – known locally as Bellagios – were being sold at half price to the first 1,000 shoppers.
Indonesia, a country of 240 million people, has experienced a tech frenzy in recent years. With six million users, BlackBerry is more popular in Indonesia than smartphones from other makers.
– With files from The Canadian Press.
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