Armed gangs target Apple stores

Apple ipad on display in San Francisco. Photo / AP

Gangs of robbers armed with weapons that included machetes and a Taser have struck Auckland stores stocking Apple electronics.

Police believe the two raids are linked and are hunting masked men who tied up and cut a staff member with a meat cleaver at one store and Tasered a man at the other.

Another store selling iPads, iPods and laptops has twice been burgled.

In one of the robberies, the offenders netted $18,000 worth of Apple goods but during the other, they left empty-handed because the staff member couldn't give them the code to the door.

The series of crimes began in January and the latest was on Saturday morning at the Yoobee store in Broadway, Newmarket.

Three men armed with a machete and a meat cleaver ambushed a staff member when he arrived early for work, police say.

The trio, who had their faces covered with scarves and hats, threatened the 40-year-old shop worker in the staff car park behind the store in Osborne St.

"They used [a meat cleaver] to cut his cheek and held it against his neck," Detective Sergeant Geoff Ringer said.

The worker had noticed someone had forced their way into the car park as he arrived. He went to check on the broken gate and was confronted by the offenders.

"They bound his hands with duct tape and then took him up to the staff entrance of the shop," Mr Ringer said.

"They tried to get him to open the shop using the keypad on the door, but he didn't know the code."

Thwarted, the robbers took the man back down to the car park and robbed him before putting him in another Yoobee staff member's car, which had been left unlocked in the car park overnight.

"They took the victim's wallet, phone and keys and escaped in his car."

Mr Ringer said the victim freed himself after they left. "He ran across the road to a cafe, where he called the police. We arrived on the scene shortly after 8.30 am.

"The victim was fairly shaken up. He required medical attention but did not need to be hospitalised."

In the earlier robbery, the Symonds St Yoobee store was targeted on March 20.

The offenders made off with $18,000 worth of Apple merchandise, including iPads, iPhones and laptops after Tasering a 50-year-old staff member and binding his hands and feet with plastic cable.

Mr Ringer said the man, who was alone, cut himself free with bolt cutters.

The Symonds St store has since closed.

Yoobee declined to comment on the robberies.

Mr Ringer said the similarities between the Newmarket and Symonds St robberies led police to believe "they could possibly be the same offenders".

"We are awaiting analysis of CCTV footage and forensic testing of the car from the Newmarket incident," he said.

Criminals have also twice struck another Auckland Apple stockist this year.

Parnell electronics store Ubertec was burgled in January and February but a spokeswoman would not say what goods were taken or how much they were worth.

It is not known whether the Yoobee raids and the Ubertec burglaries are linked.

Technology commentator Peter Griffin said it was likely the thieves would resell the stolen merchandise through "back channels".

Mr Griffin said if they tried to resell the booty cheaply on sites like Trade Me, people might become suspicious.

"Traditionally, a lot of this type of stuff would end up on Trade Me.

"But there is a limited amount of brand-new Apple gear on Trade Me, and people would probably be suspicious if new gear starts turning up."

Mr Griffin said many Apple devices were equipped with tracking technology, but it was unlikely this would have been activated and therefore it would be of little use in finding the stolen goods.

"For the tracking systems to work, the device must be linked to an activated account. Brand new, in-the-box gear would not be activated."