A three-wheel driver who stole an iPhone from an Italian tourist was sentenced to two years imprisonment suspended for ten years and fined Rs. 1,500 by Kandy’s Chief Magistrate Srinith Wijesekera.

The mobile phone was recovered from the driver and handed over to the foreigner.

The court was told the tourist and his female companion left the phone in the three-wheeler they booked via a mobile app when they got down near the Dalada Maligawa.However, when they called the driver to inquire about the phone the driver told them there was no such phone in his vehicle.

This prompted the foreigner to lodge a complaint with the Kandy Tourist Police, the court was told.The police traced the location of the mobile phone using the “Find my iPhone” feature on Apple devices and were able to arrest the driver.

The chief magistrate warned the suspect not to cause inconvenience to tourists coming to the country and imposed a suspended sentence and a fine.

The judge praised the police for using hi-tech methods to locate the phone.Kandy Headquarters Inspector Chief Inspector Rasika Sampath led the investigations.