Apple AirTag Helps Catch Robbers. Here's How

A Texas family used a hidden Apple AirTag to successfully nab thieves in the act who stole more than $62,000.

The family was fed up with gravesite robbers.

A Texas family used a hidden Apple AirTag to successfully nab thieves in the act who stole more than $62,000. What the family didn't bank on was that their clever use of Apple's item tracker would help authorities discover more than $62k worth of stolen bronze memorial vases that were at their uncle's gravesite, the media has reported. 

This family was fed up with gravesite robbers and later hid an AirTag to capture them in the act, says a report by AppleInsider. The family didn't anticipate that their smart use of AirTag would help authorities find stolen bronze memorial vases valued at more than $62,000.

According to Tony Velazquez, his uncle's gravesite at the Restwood Memorial Park in Clute, Texas, had been frequently robbed. "Each time, thieves had absconded with a bronze memorial vase -- which retails for $600 -- that had adorned the grave," the report said.

Velazquez dropped an AirTag into the vase as a safety measure in case the thieves struck again. He provided the authorities with the AirTag data, which they then used to locate the vase and dozens more at a house 45 minutes away. Local authorities then arrested the suspects, accused of stealing 102 vases over the last two months.

Clute Police Chief James Fitch said that the thieves intended to sell the vases for a quick profit at a nearby scrap yard. "They had actually tried to take the entire vases to a scrap yard," Fitch said, "They turned them down luckily."

To recall, Apple had introduced AirTags in 2021 as a way to keep track of lost items, but there have been reports of people using AirTags for stalking purposes. AirTags use a wireless connection to notify users when they leave their current location.