Apple’s iPhone 5 has created mass hysteria that pre-order stocks have been sold out in the first 24 hours it went live, and thousands of Apple fans have flocked to Apple stores braving mile-long queues to get their hands on the new iPhone. However, the new device has also gathered unwanted publicity. Hundreds of iPhones have been stolen by thieves around the world.
In London, Usman Sethi, an O2 Wimbledon store employee, has allegedly stolen 252 units of the iPhone 5 on a Friday morning. The loot is estimated to be worth £170,000. The thief also took off with some cash as well, the Daily Mail reports.
According to the Wall Street Journal, Japanese thieves took off with 200 devices at an Osaka store, just a few hours before the launch of the new iPhone. Also in Japan, 75 more units were stolen from a few KDDI stores. 116 units were stolen from a Softbank store.
Back in London, Scotland Yard’s spokesperson said, “We wish to speak with a man in connection with the theft of 252 Apple iPhone 5 smart phones from a shop in Wimbledon.”
Just last week in the US, thieves drove their BMW SUV into a shop in Temecula, California. They took off with iPhones and iPads. It seems, however, that these thieves weren’t thinking clearly when they took off with their loot. They stole units of the iPhone 4S, when the iPhone 5 was to be released the week after.
One of the thieves was arrested, after police found in his possession the keys to the SUV used to crash into the store. The other thieves are still on the run and are yet to be apprehended.
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