In yet another case of Apple AirTag being used for tracking missing or stolen items, a suspected suitcase thief was nabbed at Atlanta airport in the United States after the owner of the luggage, Jameel Reid, used Apple AirTags to locate it. The thief, identified as Craig Nelson, was charged with stealing Reid’s silver suitcase from the baggage carousel according to a New York Post report.

Reid said he tracked the device stored in his suitcase and quickly alerted the cops. He then further tracked the bag until it arrived back at the airport and then confronted the thief who appeared to be homeless.

However, this is not the first case where AirTags have been used to track down stolen items.

Earlier, in February, a US couple tracked their stolen car within minutes with the help of an Apple AirTag. The car was reportedly stolen when the couple was asleep and they were notified by the AirTag about their car’s changing location.

The couple called the police and tracked down their car 12 miles away in a neighbourhood.

Also Read: Apple AirTags in the middle of yet another controversy; US police data shows 150 cases of stalking, says report

Even law enforcement agencies like the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) have used AirTags to track illegal shipments and drug packages in the United States. The location tracker was hidden in a pill press by the DEA to conduct surveillance in May last year.

When border agents intercepted two packages of pill press machines, which are used to make powders into tablets, the Drug Enforcement Agency was called in suspecting the involvement of an illicit drug manufacturer, according to a Forbes report.

Instead of cancelling the shipment and raiding the recipient, the DEA investigators hid an Apple AirTag inside the pill press to track its movements and turned it into surveillance technology, Forbes said.

However, some shocking cases have also emerged where AirTags were used for stalking and illegal tracking of individuals.

In February this year, 2023 a US man was arrested for stalking his ex-wife using AirTags.

Also Read: AirTags or AirTracks? Here’s how to stay safe from Apple's tiny trackers

In a rather shocking case of stalking, a woman in the US was charged with murder after she allegedly tracked down her boyfriend using an Apple AirTag and ran him over when she found him with another woman in June 2022.

In March this year, a man in the US, who stole a pickup truck, was shot at and killed by the owners of the vehicle who tracked it down using an Apple AirTag.

The severity of the incidents has been brought to the attention of Apple and the company was even sued by a woman who was stalked by her ex-boyfriend using the device.

As per a Bloomberg report, the woman filed a case against Apple and alleged that using the AirTag, her ex-boyfriend was able to find out where she had moved to.

Apple says that it has placed several security measures to curb the misuse of AirTags, however, the cases still seem to be on the rise.

Also Read: Apple to introduce changes in AirTags to safeguard against unwanted tracking