Stolen Brussels Smartphone Tracked to Morocco Shop, Recovery Unlikely

The theft took place at the beginning of March. "I was in the Delirium bar in the center of Brussels, a very crowded bar in the capital," explains Jason. In this establishment, there are really a lot of people, and I was holding a friend by the hand so that we wouldn’t get lost in the crowd of people gathered at the bar." A bad habit that costs him dearly. "I always put my phone in a back pocket of my pants," he confides to RTL. There, while my hands were busy, I felt someone was taking my phone, but by the time I reacted and turned around, there was no one left."

The next day after the theft, Jason blocks his smartphone to prevent the thief from accessing his personal data. In vain. "By blocking it, I then notice that it is still located in Brussels, more precisely in Molenbeek, near the Beekkant metro stop. And there is a precise address!" He then calls the police to inform them of the story and the address. "They told me that I was not the only one calling for this reason. They still went to the address indicated, asking the person who opened if they had found a stolen phone. Of course, the person said no, and the police had no right to enter without a warrant."

A few weeks later, Jason locates his phone in Morocco. At the mentioned address, it indicates a spare parts store, they don’t even hide it! I tried to send a private message, but no response. Only, by contacting the store via Facebook with a simple innocuous question about the sign, they also announce that they sell whole phones..." The young Brussels resident will not be able to recover his smartphone. The Belgian police can’t do anything when it’s in Belgium. I can’t imagine calling the police in Morocco or going there myself to get them to do something," he resigns.