Crime blotter: Find my iPhone locates stolen police cruiser, murder of Apple India exec, more

As California Apple Store thefts have stopped following the recent arrests, new Apple thefts are reported elsewhere in the country. Plus, the uproar over an Apple India executive's murder continues.

The latest in an occasional AppleInsider series, as we look at the world of Apple-related crime.

Controversy continues over police shooting of Apple executive in India

Vivek Tiwari, an Apple sales manager in India, was shot dead by police in late September in the Northern town of Lucknow. According to an al-Jazeera account, Tiwari was shot by a constable during a traffic stop, in what is described as "the latest in a series of extrajudicial killings by police in the state." Those constables have been arrested. The death, according to Reuters, has been described by police as an accident, while a Special Investigations Team recently reconstructed the crime scene for the third time, according to The Times of India.

The death has been huge news in South Asia but has not been much reported in the U.S. media, and Apple has not commented on the matter.

Huge Apple product haul taken from Illinois Best Buy

Thieves took more than $150,000 worth of Apple items, including computers, iPads and Apple Watches, from a Best Buy location in Peoria, Ill. According to the PJ Star, the theft took place after hours, either Wednesday night or Thursday morning.

Arrests made in Missouri thefts

While the recent spate of Apple Store thefts in California appears to have ended after the ring responsible was indicted, another Apple theft operation may be active in the Midwest. Three were arrested for iPhone, iWatch and iPad thefts from a pair of Walmart locations in Missouri, KMOV reported. As all three suspects are from Houston, police believe they are part of a "larger operation."

Target employee accused of stealing iPhones, iPod from distribution center

A woman from Milwaukee has been charged with stealing $2,649.97 from a Target Distribution Center in Oconomowoc, Wisc. The woman admitted that she took two iPhone Xs, an iPod Touch and two pairs of Airbuds, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported.

$6,000 in Apple Watches stolen in Virginia

Two women stole $6,000 in Apple merchandise from a Virginia Beach Apple Store, most of it Apple Watches, in a two-day period at the end of September. According to WAVY, the two women were captured on surveillance video.

Apple Store theft in Connecticut

Another Apple Store theft was reported this month on the East Coast. A man from Staten Island was arrested for stealing three laptops from the Greenwich, Conn., Apple Store. According to Greenwich Time, the thefts took place in January of 2017, although the man wasn't arrested until this month.

Find My iPhone helps cop locate stolen cruiser, arsonist

A deputy in Florida had his police cruiser stolen by an accused arsonist- but then used Find My iPhone to find the car. According to The Orlando Sentinel, the officer rescued a man from a burning home, but then came outside to discover the cruiser gone, with his phone in it.

Police chased and eventually located the car while the alleged arsonist, a 58-year-old woman, was discovered by a police dog. The suspect was arrested and charged with both arson and grand theft of a car.

Man arrested in Delaware with fake Apple products, fake money

Police in Delaware arrested a New York man this month after they searched his car and discovered both counterfeit cash and fake Apple products. According to WDEL the man, who "looked nervous," had bogus computer and iPhone USB cables, ear plugs, and power adapters in his glove box.

The man was charged with counterfeit trademark, driving without a license, and making an improper lane change.

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