RIM Indonesia chief suspect in BlackBerry stampede

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'sBlackBerry 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 phonesknown locally as Bellagioswere 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.