Sam Oliver
In addition to paying customers anxious to get their hands on Apple's latest smartphone, the iPhone 5 launch has also attracted thieves who have stolen hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of inventory around the world.
In London, one thief stole 252 phones before the iPhone 5 went on sale, according to the BBC. Based on an average selling price of $650, the 252 phones lifted from the O2 store would have a total value of nearly $165,000.
In addition to the handsets, cash was also taken from the carrier's store, according to police. Authorities want to speak with 23-year-old Usman Sethi of Ilford in east London about the heist.
In America, police in Murfeesboro, Tenn., say eight thieves made off with over $100,000 worth of stolen iPads and older iPhone models earlier this week, according to Nashville television station WSMV. The inventory was taken from a Best Buy store in Middle Tennessee after a stolen vehicle was rammed into a door at the loading dock. Reports from the scene say the thieves were looking to steal the new iPhone 5, however he store's stock had not yet arrived.
And in Japan, police said 191 units of the iPhone 5 were taken from three stores in Osaka, according to The Wall Street Journal. The average selling price on those handsets would be nearly $125,000.
A total of 33 iPhone 5 units were reportedly taken from a KDDI Corp. store in Ibaraki city, while another 116 were stolen from a Softbank Corp. store in the western district of Osaka city, and another nearby KDDI-owned shop had 42 iPhone 5 units lifted.
Andrew Orr
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39 Comments
And how many Samsung phones were stolen before being sold? NONE. Not even the thieves want to bother with those.
And how many Samsung phones were stolen before being sold? NONE.
Not even the thieves want to bother with those.
lame
lame
Not lame, it's the truth, which can be backed up by facts.
Thieves prefer Apple, and they usually don't bother with crap like Samsung.
Not lame, it's the truth, which can be backed up by facts.
Thieves prefer Apple, and they usually don't bother with crap like Samsung.
Check the dumpsters. the thieves probably thought they were iPhones and when they realized they weren't, they tossed them.
They can be traced right? Im mean every cell phone can be tracked. I would think that some how a private hit squad hired by Apple will go and paint those people with red die so they will live in shame for ever stealing from the great and mighty Apple.