A fight broke out at the Apple store in Mumbai’s Banda Kurla Complex Friday morning as shoppers and tech enthusiasts fought each other to buy variants of the new iPhone 17.
A video shared by news agency PTI showed dozens of men jammed together like sardines in an overstuffed can outside the glass-fronted Apple store, each slapping and hitting the other.
The video also showed one man in a red shirt being dragged out from the clash by uniformed security personnel, one of whom he attempts to hit before the other drags him away.
As the video plays out another shopper, in a white shirt, intervenes and asks after the guard’s welfare while his attacker is restrained. Throughout all this the confrontation goes on the background; a third security guard with his lathi raised can be seen, but alone he could do naught.
VIDEO | iPhone 17 series launch: A scuffle broke out among a few people amid the rush outside the Apple Store at BKC Jio Centre, Mumbai, prompting security personnel to intervene.
Large crowds had gathered as people waited eagerly for the iPhone 17 pre-booking.#iPhone17… pic.twitter.com/cskTiCB7yi
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) September 19, 2025
Then a second miscreant, in a black-and-white shirt, is dragged from the crowd, this time by an armed guard in combat fatigues, and pushed away.
Apple has commenced the sale of its newly launched iPhone 17 series across India, prompting large crowds and long queues outside flagship stores in Mumbai and Delhi.
The argy-bargy in Mumbai, some shoppers told news agency ANI, was because of the lack of security. Mohan Yadav, a potential buyer who came from Ahmedabad, said he had been waiting since 5 am and that many people tried to cut the queues, leading to chaos at the entrance.
“I have been waiting since the morning. Have been standing in a queue… but the security here has no responsibility. People are breaking lines. Those standing behind don’t get the chance to buy the product due to a lack of responsibility among the security officials,” he complained.
A similar rush was seen outside the Apple outlet at Select Citywalk Mall in Saket, New Delhi, where buyers waited overnight to get their hands on the new iPhones. People queued outside on the road waiting for the mall to open so they could be among the first to buy the latest iPhone.
A similar rush was seen at the Apple store in Bengaluru also.
Apple has announced the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max, the top models in its new iPhone 17 lineup, alongside the regular iPhone 17 and all-new iPhone Air.
The Pro returns to an aluminium build, adds the biggest battery of any iPhone yet, and boasts what Apple is calling a “full-width camera plateau” on the back as per the live event, which was broadcast on Apple’s website and YouTube channel on September 9.