Man left in shock after seeing what happened to his phone that was stolen in middle of London

They say news travels fast, and apparently, so do mobile phones stolen in the UK capital.

Sukru Haskan discovered that his iPhone 14 had covered some serious ground in just over two weeks after it was snatched out of his hand on Brompton Street in Knightsbridge, London, on 30 July.

He was strolling towards his home in South Kensington just after 11pm when a crook cycling along on an e-bike suddenly grabbed his device and drove of into the night, leaving him feeling 'helpless'.

The 41-year-old shared a detailed thread of the incident on X, explaining the extensive journey that his phone went on after it was stolen on the streets of London.

Quote posting a video of another theft which Sukru said was 'exactly' the same as his, he explained that it was taken from him from a masked biker at 23.08 while adding: "It's really insane."

He then told how his phone then pinged in Hyde Park at 23.15, followed by Finsbury Park at 00.55.

It was then detected close to the junction of Stroud Green Road, Blackstock Road and Seven Sisters Road at Finsbury Park and it's last known location was near Aldersbrook Primary School at 2.45pm the following day on 1 August.

But it's journey was far from over.

Speaking to the Daily Mail about the incident, the Turkish national who now resides in London said: "He was on one of those e-bikes and he was wearing these thick gloves and he just grabbed it [the phone].

"I'm a fit guy, but I didn't even intend to run after him because by the time I looked he was so far away.

"The police came and interviewed me but as they were doing that I could see it moving around London. It makes you lose your sense of trust in our security."

Even though Sukru was hot on the heels of the light-fingered e-cyclist, he unfortunately wasn't fast enough - as by 15 August, his iPhone 14 had made the nearly 6,000-mile journey all the way to Shenzhen, China.

Dubbed the country's 'silicon valley' thanks to it being a leading global technology hub, the city is also a hotspot for stolen devices from all over the world.

Police chiefs previously told The Independent that it is easier to unlock and resell stolen iPhones in Shenzhen thanks to all the tech knowledge in the region.

"I was sending screenshots to police, and then the next thing it was in China," Sukru said, explaining that he had tracked it using Apple's Find My iPhone feature.

We previously told how an investigation found that phones are being shipped by criminal gangs to China, where they are then unlocked and resold or dismantled and sold in parts to recycling plants or markets.

A lot of UK iPhones end up in the subdistrict of Huaqiangbei too, which is also home to bustling electronics markets and isn't far from Hong Kong, making it a perfect spot for international and domestic trade.

"I've seen online hundreds of thousands of phones end up in China," Sukru continued. "I get how you can’t prevent phones being stolen from a metropolitan city.

In Knightsbridge at about 23:08 tonight, my phone has been stolen exactly in the similar manner. It's really insane. Police booked an appointment for this incident on this Friday... @metpoliceuk @MayorofLondon @CrimeLdn https://t.co/h0McPf6RGe

— Sukru Haskan (@sukru_haskan) July 30, 2024

"What I’m not happy with is how afterwards, your phone gets transported to a different country with ease."

Sukru said that the police had closed his case because 'no suspects could be found'.

He added: "People steal things, I get it, it's normal, but thousands of phones are ending up in China and no one is looking into this."

The Londoner, who works in finance, echoed these comments in his thread on X.

He fumed: "There are documentaries about this. Phones are stolen in London and ending at Shenzhen. These people probably shipping thousands of mobiles every day/week.

"How come you can let this continue to happen?"