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.

It is claimed the woman innocently scrolled through the iPhone display when anyone passed by, but later, security camera footage revealed that when the coast was clear, she would set about gnawing at the anti-theft cable. Not long after Qiu left the shop, the staff noticed the unattached cable and missing smartphone. The store workers called the police, and Qiu was apprehended 30 minutes later.

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.