Thief Chews Through Anti-Theft Cable After iPhone 14 Plus Sticker Shock

CCTV of iPhone 14 theft
(Image credit: SCMP)

A woman from southeastern China has been arrested for stealing an Apple iPhone 14 Plus. This might have been one of many iDevice thefts on any given day, but the thief's modus operandi has made this case go viral on Chinese social media. Surprisingly, the iPhone thief managed to purloin the device and make her getaway after chewing through the demo device's anti-theft cable with her teeth.

Hong Kong's South China Morning Post (SCMP) reports that a woman from Fujian province, surnamed Qiu, entered the phone store and began her visit as any normal person might. She wandered around the store, looking at various items, pausing with most interest by the smartphone section.

(Image credit: SCMP)

Interestingly, the newspaper report also shared the thief's side of the sorry story. Qiu apparently explained to police that she went to the store intending to purchase a new device, after losing her phone. However, the iPhone 14 Plus sticker price of 7,000 yuan (US$960) apparently left her exasperated, so she decided to steal the store's demo sample.

Electronic devices and components can be really expensive. However, most people will make do with cheaper options or save a little longer to get what they want. Also, chewing through an anti-theft cable might not be without its costs. Most such cables we have seen are reinforced with metal wire filaments, which would surely damage human teeth to chew - resulting in sizable dentistry bills.

Mark Tyson
News Editor

Mark Tyson is a news editor at Tom's Hardware. He enjoys covering the full breadth of PC tech; from business and semiconductor design to products approaching the edge of reason.