The police then arrested Ms Qiu outside her house.

A woman in Fujian province in southern China was arrested after she bit and chewed an anti-theft cable at an Apple store to steal an iPhone 14 Plus priced at $960 (Rs 79,414), as per a report in South China Morning Post. The woman surnamed Qiu, was caught by police half an hour after leaving the shop with the device.

In the video of the CCTV camera going viral on Chinese social media platforms, Ms Qiu is seen standing in front of the display stand of smartphone. She then leans on the counter and places her right hand on a phone. After a brief examination of the gadget, she nibbles on the security cable multiple times before placing the phone in her bag and leaving the store.

The store manager, Wang, stated that an alarm was activated during the incident. However, the employees that investigated found nothing strange.

Police officer Zhang Jinhong was quoted as saying by SCMP that Ms Qiu acted cautiously and attempted to disguise her tracks by appearing to be scrolling through the phone’s screen like any other customer at a gadget store. However, as soon as she left, store employees found the chewed cord and missing phone and called the cops. Further, security camera footage was checked and showed what had occurred. The police then arrested Ms Qiu outside her house. 

As per the outlet, Ms Qiu informed police that after losing her phone, she planned to buy a new one at a store, but when she saw the cost, she decided to steal it. She has been held until the completion of the inquiry.

The video has left many people surprised. “Doesn’t she know there are security cameras everywhere?” said a person.

Another user remarked, “She has strong teeth.”