Nagpur: In a disturbing incident at the Croma store in Jayanti Nagari on Besa–Pipla Road, customer Amit Thakre opened a freshly billed, sealed Apple Watch Series 9 pack — priced at Rs 24,500 — and discovered that the watch was missing. The unboxing was done at the store counter itself, moments after he completed the finance paperwork and payment. Only the straps were found inside the box.
Store staff, stunned by the situation, informed Amit that they had no idea how this could happen and immediately agreed to refund the amount. Amit pointed out that products often move between multiple stores and warehouses, suggesting that the watch may have been taken somewhere during transit.
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27 Oct 2025
The incident has raised serious questions about the reliability of sealed high-value products sold through branded retail chains. Customers are now concerned that if a sealed unit can be opened and emptied without detection, it also opens the possibility of products being swapped with duplicates, refurbished units, or previously used items. The episode has sparked wider doubts about supply-chain checks, internal monitoring, and the overall assurance of originality that customers expect from premium retail stores.
Croma is expected to conduct an internal review to identify how the lapse occurred.
