Surveillance footage reveals that the shop assistant's iPhone was stolen from the counter of a clothing store in Chongqing city, while a female customer created a distraction by pretending to be rich and requesting to try on all of the new clothes in the store.

While the mother was putting on her best act, the four-year-old boy ran to the counter and grabbed the phone, handing it back to the mother discretely. According to the report, the whole process took less than three seconds.

The pair made their escape by claiming to need to go to a cash machine in order to get money out to pay for the clothes. Of course, they never returned.

The report suggests that the boy may have received "some specialised training" to teach him how to steal phones in this manner.

There have been several cases in which iPhone thieves have been busted after foolish and iCloud.