More than a dozen Bucks County high schoolers are accused of running a cell phone theft ring that targeted more than $4,000 worth of phones, iPads and tablets of classmates and others in their own schools.
Bensalem Police say they began focusing in on the thefts in September after at staffer at the high school noticed an unusual pattern of thefts at the school.
A joint undercover investigation turned up at least 24 device thefts over the course of two months at the school, police said.
“We started noticing a pattern of (theft) reports being taken from the locker rooms… bags that were unsecured that kids would leave their electronics in.” Bensalem Township Police Director Fred Harran said.
Some Bensalem students and one Bucks County Tech School student would receive the stolen phones and then try to sell them on Craigslist, cops said.
“We did an undercover investigation where we went in and tried to buy, at a different location, some of the stolen material and were successful,” Harran said.
In all, 12 Bensalem students and the one tech school student were arrested. Some were charged with swiping phones while others were charged with buying the stolen property, according to police.
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The names and ages of the accused students weren’t released since everyone charged is a minor and the cases will be handled in juvenile court, cops said.
The investigation is ongoing and more arrests could be made, cops said.
