Police in Beijing have busted a factory that produced more than 41,000 fake iPhones, including some that reached the United States, and have arrested nine suspects.

Apple is one of the most popular brands in China, where authorities have stepped up efforts in recent years to dispel the country’s reputation for turning out counterfeit goods.

Police arrested nine people, including a married couple who led the operation, after a raid in May on the factory, run under the guise of a gadget maintenance shop on the northern outskirts of the capital.

The details were revealed in a social media posting by Beijing’s public security bureau.

The group, headed by a 43-year-old man surnamed Yu, and his 40-year-old wife, surnamed Xie, both from the southern hardware manufacturing city of Shenzhen, allegedly set up the Beijing factory with six assembly lines in January, the bureau said.

They hired hundreds of workers to repackage second-hand smartphone components as iPhones for export, it added.

Police seized 1,400 handsets and a large quantity of accessories during the May 14 raid. In the United States, the newest Apple Inc handsets can fetch US$649, or more, depending on the model.

Beijing police said its investigation followed a tip-off from US authorities who had seized some of the fake devices.

The destination of the counterfeit phones, and how many made it there, remains unknown.

In 2011, bloggers in the southwestern city of Kunming discovered more than a dozen unauthorized brick-and-mortar outlets that carefully replicated the interior decor, and even employee uniforms, used in genuine Apple stores.

The pictures embarrassed officials, who vowed to do more to protect trademarks.

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