Police in Australia take iPhone theft seriously; so seriously, they will not hesitate to employ the use of a helicopter to nab a thief who has made off with one of Apple’s prized mobile devices. The story begins in a hospital in Heidelberg, Australia where an iPhone was stolen from an unsuspecting woman. The woman’s iPhone presumably had the now well-known Find My iPhone app setup installed and the police used the app on another device or MobileMe to track and locate the iPhone in the neighboring suburb of Greensborough.
Lucky for the lady and her missing iPhone, a police helicopter was already in the area and was dispatched to the iPhone’s GPS coordinates. The tracking was so accurate that the helicopter was able to spot the thief riding a stolen bike down a city street. The 16-year old suspect ditched the bike as soon as the helicopter was hovering above him (who wouldn’t?) and ran towards the Tram to make a hasty escape.
The suspect was apprehended by police on the ground in Bundoora and the unfortunate lad was caught with the stolen iPhone and some marijuana. He is now being charged with burglary, theft, and the possession of cannabis. Mark that down as another win for the now free Find My Phone service and another loss for iPhone thieves.
Thanks to Gavin B for sending this in!
Police hunt down stolen iPhone in chopper originally appeared on TUAW on Thu, 16 Dec 2010 10:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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