Some unidentified thieves stole iPhones, iPads, and watches worth $500,000 (approximately Rs 4 crores) by breaking into an Apple store inside a US mall on Sunday night.
Police while talking to IANS said that the burglars fled with more than 400 electronic items from the Apple retailer in the Alderwood mall of Washington's Lynnwood.
The Lynnwood Police Department (LPD) said that the burglars made their entry by cutting through the bathroom wall of the neighbouring espresso machine store.
The LPD is working with Alderwood Mall officials as they investigate this case. No arrests have been made in connection with this incident yet.
LDP Communications Manager Maren McKay said, "Approximately 436 iPhones in total were taken out of the back. In total about $500,000 worth of merchandise was stolen and that's iPhones, iPads, Apple watches."
Apple employees on the other hand were not aware of the extent of this massive theft until the next morning.
The owner of the coffee machine store while talking to reporters said that they've never dealt with anything of this sort in around five years of business at the mall.
The tech giant did not comment on the burglary while Brookfield Properties, the company that runs the mall, told KOMO News that this was an isolated incident.
The police after analysing the surveillance video said that it seemed like a well-planned operation. McKay said, "From the masks that the folks were wearing, there were no fingerprints left behind."
This is not the first time that an Apple Store has been targeted by thieves with similar incidents reported in other parts of the world. Last year in November, a case was reported wherein thieves managed to steal 125 iPhones worth about $95,000 from the hands of a small scale iPhone seller who frequently made large purchases from Apple Store for his small business. Though the victim tried protesting, thieves managed to run away with one bag full of iPhones, reported the Financial Express Tech Bytes.