Apple Crime Log: Pokémon iPhone Theft, Casino Heist, and 30 Purloined iPads
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It’s time once again for us to dig into our virtual pile of online police and news reports and share another collection of Apple-related crime stories.
In this edition, a Pokémon fan gets his iPhone stolen while in line at Best Buy, a thief takes a gamble and steals a casino player’s iPhone, a man walks away with 30 iPads from his former workplace, and an Apple Watch helps bust a train heist gang.
Man Has iPhone Stolen Waiting in Line for Pokémon Card Release
A man who stood in line for close to 40 hours at a West Hollywood Best Buy waiting for the new Pokémon 30th anniversary trading card release had his iPhone stolen, although the good news is the device was tracked and recovered.
WEHOonline reports the man got in line on the afternoon of Monday, September 14, for the release of Pokémon’s 30th anniversary trading cards, and was still hanging in there on the 16th at 7 a.m. when he reported to police that his “orange iPhone 17 Plus” had been stolen (it’s a safe bet that’s a typo, and it was likely an iPhone 17 Pro).
The man gave the okay for police to track the device, and police found it where the thief had apparently dropped it. The iPhone was returned to the unidentified victim, who was now third in line, and declined to press charges.
Best Buy was promoting the September 16 event as the release date for its Pokémon TCG: 30th Celebration merchandise, which included an Elite Trainer Box, Poster Collection, and Tech Sticker Collection. The in-store-only merchandise was available in limited quantities.
Man Sought for Theft of iPhone from Casino
Police in Nevada are searching for a man who they say stole an iPhone from a Nugget Casino customer, reports 2 News.
The theft took place August 17, and the alleged thief was “last seen wearing a purple sweatshirt, gray sweatpants, purple-and-black Nike shoes and a white headband.”
The Carson City Sheriff’s Office is asking for the public’s help identifying the suspect. Anyone with information is asked to contact Deputy Anastasio with the Carson City Sheriff’s Office Patrol Division at 775-887-2020, ext. 0220; Carson City Dispatch’s non-emergency line at 775-887-2008; or Secret Witness at 775-322-4900. A $250 reward is being offered for information leading to the arrest of the suspect in this theft.
Man Walks Off With 30 iPads From Former Employer
A 43-year-old Hialeah, Florida, man has been arrested for stealing 30 iPads, valued at $12,000, from a South Florida business that had fired him earlier that day.
According to NBC Miami, police say the theft occurred on September 4. An employee recognized the man as he was entering the warehouse. Although the man was wearing a mask, the owner of the business was also able to recognize him on surveillance video.
The report said Ariel Galindo, 43, had been fired for not showing up for work the previous two days. It was later discovered he had pawned some of the purloined iPads shortly after the theft. He was arrested Wednesday and charged with burglary and grand theft.
Apple Watch Leads Railway Police in India to Catch Diamond Gang
The Tambaram Railway Police in July arrested two members of a North Indian Railway theft gang in connection with the theft of diamond jewelry on a train.
The Deccan Chronicle reports that Deepak Sanchetti, 47, who works as a manager at a diamond and gold jewelry showroom in T Nagar, was traveling from Chennai to Madurai with jewels after meeting a customer. Although he thought he was safely ensconced in an air-conditioned sleeper coach, he woke up early the next morning, shortly before reaching Tambaram, to find the bag containing the jewelry missing.
The stolen bag from the heist also contained an Apple Watch, which led investigators to track its location and identify which section of the train the theft had taken place in.
Tambaram Railway Police were then able to narrow the list of passengers down to a likely crew. Investigators believe the crooks, “transferred the jewellery from the stolen bag into their own bags inside the moving train and threw the bag containing the Apple Watch out of the train.”
The accused have been identified as Amarnath Jaiswal, 64, who was arrested in Siliguri, West Bengal, and his associate Rajan Kumar, who was arrested in Patna. They were brought to Chennai and appeared in court before being remanded to Puzhal prison. Police are still searching for two other alleged accomplices, Ranjan Kumar and Ashok Kumar.
While the stolen jewelry has not yet been recovered, police have so far seized Rs 4 lakh in cash from the accused.
