Thanks to “Find My iPhone”: London police smack down cell phone thieves
London's police busted a criminal gang that is said to have smuggled tens of thousands of stolen mobile phones to China. There they were sold for a high price.
Stolen smartphones that should be protected from discovery with aluminium foil.
(Image: Metropolitan Police)
London police say they have broken up a criminal network that is said to have smuggled up to 40,000 stolen smartphones from the UK to China within a year. This gang alone is said to have been behind almost every second smartphone theft in London. According to the rumors, it was mainly iPhones that were affected. The police were put on the trail by a victim whose stolen mobile phone was traced to a warehouse near London's Heathrow Airport using Apple's “Find My iPhone” function. The police discovered it there with hundreds of other stolen devices and launched a successful investigation.
Worth thousands of euros in some cases
(Image: Metropolitan Police)
The discovery at the airport was the starting point for an operation in the course of which an international smuggling group was unearthed that exported up to 40 percent of all smartphones stolen in London, the police explained. They were mainly targeting Apple products because they were particularly profitable to resell abroad. The police say that the street thieves were paid up to 300 pounds (around 345 euros) per stolen device. There are also indications that the smartphones were sold for up to 5000 US dollars (4300 euros) in China. According to the BBC, the hefty surcharge was mainly achieved because the devices could be used to circumvent Chinese internet censorship.
After months of investigation, two suspects were arrested at the end of September, according to the Metropolitan Police in London, and both remain in custody. According to the BBC, around 2,000 smartphones were seized in their cars following the dramatic action on the street. The police are also talking about 15 other people who are accused of theft, among other things. In total, suspects at all levels of the criminal network have been arrested. This is the most serious crackdown on mobile phone theft and one of the most extraordinary operations in the history of the police force.
Videos by heise
Smartphone theft has been a problem on London's streets for years. Mobile phones are often simply snatched from the hands of pedestrians by passing motorcyclists or cyclists. Last year, 80,000 devices were stolen in the British capital alone, writes the BBC, adding that this accounted for three quarters of all devices stolen in the UK. The police are therefore also calling for more support from manufacturers such as Apple and Samsung. They could do more, especially regarding the security and reusability of the devices. At the same time, they point out how bad the consequences are for those affected, who have their entire lives on the devices. Their stories are sometimes heartbreaking.
(mho)
