Over the years, we’ve covered many stories of iPhone handsets getting stolen by brazen robbers who figure out different ways to steal Apple devices. Just this year, we told you about the 463 iPhones and the undisclosed number of iPads and Apple Watches that were stolen from an Apple Store located at the Alderwood Mall in Lynwood, Washington. The thieves cut a hole through the bathroom of an adjoining store and took over $500,000 of merchandise.
In 2018, four men rushed into a crowded Apple Store in Fresno, and counting on the confusion and panic that ensued, the gang grabbed 26 items worth $27,000 in just seconds. One customer tried to block the exit to the store but was knocked down by one of the robbers. Years ago, the Apple Store inside The Village Mall in Corte Madera, California was ripped off twice within a six-month period.
The latest attempt to steal an iPhone is, luckily, a more comical situation. Per South China Morning Post (SCMP), a woman living in Fujian province in southeastern China was busted for stealing an iPhone 14 Plus. That, in itself, isn’t funny or unusual. But the method she used to steal the device might be unique. This woman chewed through the anti-theft cable that is designed to prevent devices on display in the Apple Store from getting ripped off. Like a beaver, this woman chewed through the cable and ran off with the phone.
Apple Store security camera captures a woman biting the anti-theft cable to steal an iPhone 14 Plus. Image credit-SCMP
What we know is that the thief has a surname of Qiu, and started her visit to the store in the most normal manner possible. She took a look at various Apple products although it was apparent that the iPhone drew her attention the most. Video footage from the store’s surveillance cameras showed the thief biting away at the anti-theft cable when no one was around her. A little while after she walked out of the store, the staff noticed that one of the cables attached to an iPhone 14 Plus demo wasn’t connected to the phone anymore; and oh yeah, the phone itself was missing.
The Apple Store staff called the cops and half an hour later, Ms. Qiu was arrested. She explained that he intention was to go into the Apple Store and purchase a new iPhone 14 Plus, but when she saw the price of the device was 7,000 Yuan ($960), she decided to try and steal the demo instead. Instead of helping law enforcement take a bite out of crime, this woman took a bite of crime.
