“Shanghai is a good place to steal iPhones.” Members of a criminal gang flew from Hainan to Shanghai recently to steal Apple iPhones.

Shanghai police caught two pickpocketing groups yesterday. The men in the groups were both members of the same gang from Hainan. They had flown to Shanghai from Hainan and had planned to spend about a week there stealing. Then, they would fly back to Hainan and return to Shanghai for another round at a later date. In less than seven hours, the groups had already stolen eight phones. One suspect, Li, confirmed that the gang farmed in Hainan in the spring and summer and stole in the winter.

Li said that while he was at home working on the farm, he did not have enough money. Therefore he decided to steal during the winter to increase his earnings. Li said that in Shanghai, more people use iPhones than in Hainan, and stolen goods can be sold for a good price.

The gang targets people on their iPhones in public, and those with headphone cables. Li said if the gang took a phone that wasn’t valuable, they would return it to the owner on the spot. He said he would pretend the owner had dropped it on the ground and would thank him profusely.

Li also said that winter is an ideal time to pickpocket because people wear thick clothing, and it is difficult to feel something being stolen. However, he did not expect to be caught by police less than 24 hours after arriving in Shanghai.

The two groups of five suspects are currently being held in criminal detention. They confessed to have stolen phones in Jing’an, Huangpu, and Changning districts. One more member of the gang is still at large.

The Shanghai Public Security Bureau held a conference yesterday to announce the arrests and their continuing campaign against pickpocketing in autumn and winter. Shanghai police have arrested 245 pickpocketing suspects and 20 pickpocketing gangs since November.

Source: inews.qq.com

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Keywords: Shanghai pickpockets Shanghai iPhones Shanghai theft