Man tracks down stolen iPhone 6,000 miles away

Ketan Aggarwal, 36, was talking on his iPhone 14 Pro when it was snatched from his hand in central London

(Ketan Aggarwal / SWNS)

A man who had his iPhone stolen tracked the device as it was ‘fenced’ - to almost 6,000 miles away in China.

Ketan Aggarwal, 36, was talking on his iPhone 14 Pro - worth around £1,000 - when it was snatched from his hand in Farringdon, central London.

He gave chase but the thief quickly disappeared on a bike, leaving the telecoms analyst gutted.

Ketan, from Ealing, west London, then decided to track his phone - and watched it as it made its way out of the capital and across the world.

He believes the phone was stripped for parts once it arrived in Shenzen, China.

Ketan said: “When your phone gets nicked, naturally the first thing you do is check find my iPhone.

“Whoever robbed it couldn’t unlock it to disable the tracker - so I saw it travel all around London over the next couple of days.”

Ketan’s phone first moved from Farringdon to Russell Square.

It was then taken to Edgware - via Lewisham - before it disappeared from the tracker.

But days later it popped up again, this time to road in Shenzen, China - some 6,000 miles from Farringdon.

He said: “The exact location was Huafa South Road in Shenzhen. And after a bit of research I discovered I wasn’t the only one who’s stolen phone has ended up there.”

Ketan cancelled his insurance policy a few months before the incident - after having it in place for four years.

This means he will have pay for a new phone - while he believes his own has been sold and stripped for parts.

Now Ketan wants to raise awareness for phone theft in the capital, urging others to be careful when using their devices in London.

(Ketan Aggarwal / SWNS)

He claimed: “Phone theft is a big problem in London - but the police don’t seem to be doing too much about it.

“I had mine nicked right from my ear, and after tracking it to China, I’ve had an insight into what actually happens next.

“I think the parts are being used to build these Frankenstein phones - mobiles built using parts from several different models.

“My situation proves you just can’t be on your phone in London anymore. I want to raise awareness for this sort of crime and the scale it’s happening on.”

A spokesperson for The Metropolitan Police said: “Police were called at 19:18hrs on 28 December by a man aged in his 30s after his phone was snatched from his hand in the vicinity of Shoe Lane EC4.

“Officers attended the victim’s home address to speak to him later that evening.

“There have been no arrests.”