News spreads quickly, they say. And that apparently also applies to the mobile phones stolen in the British capital.

Sukru Haskan found that his iPhone 14 had traveled a considerable distance in just over two weeks after it was snatched from his hand on Brompton Street in Knightsbridge, London, on July 30.

Shortly after 11pm, he was strolling towards his house in South Kensington when a crook riding past on an e-bike suddenly snatched his device and rode off into the night. He felt “helpless”.

Sukru Haskan was shocked when his iPhone was snatched from his hands in London. (Getty Stock Image)

The 41-year-old shared a detailed thread of the incident on X, describing the long journey his phone took after it was stolen on the streets of London.

Quote: He posted a video of another theft that Sukru said was “exactly” the same as his. He explained that it was stolen from him by a masked biker at 11:08 p.m., adding, “This is really crazy.”

He then said that his phone beeped at 11.15pm in Hyde Park and at 12.55am in Finsbury Park.

It was subsequently discovered near the junction of Stroud Green Road, Blackstock Road and Seven Sisters Road in Finsbury Park; its last known location was near Aldersbrook Primary School at 2.45pm the following day, 1 August.

But the journey was far from over.

Sukru Haskan’s iPhone 14 was taken on a trip through London before leaving the country. (X/@sukru_haskan)

Speaking to the Daily Mail, the Turkish citizen, who now lives in London, explained the incident: “He was riding one of those e-bikes, wearing thick gloves and just grabbed it (the phone).”

“I’m a fit guy, but I had no intention of chasing him because when I looked, he was already so far away.

“The police came and questioned me, but while they were doing that I could see it moving all over London. You lose faith in our safety.”

Even though Sukru was hot on the heels of the long-fingered e-biker, he was unfortunately not fast enough – because on August 15, his iPhone 14 had completed the almost 6,000-mile journey to Shenzhen, China.

As a leading global technology center, the city is known as the country’s “Silicon Valley,” but is also a hotspot for stolen devices from around the world.

The 41-year-old reported his shock after his device was tracked to Shenzhen in China two weeks later. (X/@sukru_haskan)

Police chiefs had previously told The Independent that it was easier to unlock and resell stolen iPhones in Shenzhen because of the region’s extensive technical expertise.

“I sent screenshots to the police and suddenly it was in China,” Sukru said, explaining that he tracked it using Apple’s Find My iPhone feature.

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

Many iPhones from the UK also end up in the Huaqiangbei sub-district, which is also home to busy electronics markets and is not far from Hong Kong, making it a perfect location for international and domestic trade.

“I saw online that hundreds of thousands of cell phones have ended up in China,” Sukru continued. “I understand that you can’t prevent cell phones from being stolen in a big city.”

“What doesn’t satisfy me is that your phone can then be easily transported to another country.”

Sukru said police closed his case because “no suspects could be found.”

He added: “People steal things, I understand that, that’s normal, but thousands of phones end up in China and nobody investigates it.”

The London-based finance expert reiterated these comments in his thread on X.

He fumed: “There are documentaries about this. Phones are stolen in London and end up in Shenzhen. These people probably send thousands of phones every day/week.”

“How can you continue to allow this?”