With the exception of the Foxconn fire, we rarely, if ever, report on any real tragedy in this industry. The closest we come to reporting a tragedy probably involves RIM, or Nokia, or some form of a product delay, but very rarely do we write up anything truly horrific. Today, however, a young man from the Panchmahal district of Gujarat, India was electrocuted to death by his shanzai phone.

Obviously, this is incredibly unfortunate, and our condolences are with the family. It happened when 25-year-old Dhanji Damor was trying to make a call while his shanzai phone was plugged in to the wall to charge. He was shocked, and rushed to the hospital, where doctors pronounced him dead from electrocution. In India, people have a pretty common joke about made-in-China phones: “No guarantee, no warranty.” In other words, if it was made in China it could either last forever, or for a hot minute.

It may be funny in some cases, but this should be taken as a lesson to those developing nations who are trying so desperately to keep up with the rest of the world. Those copycat handsets may look and feel just like our precious smartphones, but under that back cover lies a mess of unreliable technology that, as we’ve seen here, can be dangerous.

[via UberGizmo]