Foxconn Senior Manager Admits To Stealing Thousands Of Smartphones

A senior manager at Taiwan-based electronics manufacturer Foxconn has admitted to stealing thousands of smartphones from a company facility in China, the Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported Friday, citing prosecutors.

Foxconn, which assembles electronics products for international companies, including Apple, Nokia and Sony, employs nearly one million workers at its factories across China. The accused person worked as a sales manager at a factory in the Chinese city of Zhengzhou, which manufactures devices such as the iPhone 6, AFP reported. Foxconn had reported the thefts after conducting an internal inspection that found 4,000 smartphones, including iPhone 6 units, had gone missing.

“He admitted to stealing smartphones from a Foxconn factory in China last year during questioning yesterday,” prosecutors told AFP. The stolen phones were sold in China for about $760,000, according to local reports.

“We suspect that he has accomplices in China and may request judicial assistance from Chinese authorities for further investigation,” AFP quoted a spokeswoman for the New Taipei district prosecutor's office as saying.

In September last year, Chinese authorities had reportedly detained a Foxconn employee for allegedly stealing rear casings of the iPhone 6, which typically carry the Apple logo, from a factory in Jincheng, and selling them for 6,000 yuan ($976) to an electronics market in Shenzhen. Local media had reported that the employee responded to an ad offering about $163 for each case.