Samsung suffers R380 Million loss in Brazil heist

20 criminals disguised as Samsung employees invaded the factory and took close to 200 employees hostage.The Samsung plant, located in Brazil, was hit hard in one of the largest tech heists to date. According to reports, more than 40,000 smartphones, tablet devices, laptops and electronic devices were stolen.According to reports, 20 criminals disguised as Samsung employees invaded the factory and took close to 200 employees hostage. The armed assailants loaded R380 Million worth of Samsung electronics into seven trucks.Some employees were held hostage by the criminals while the majority continued to work, but had the batteries of their mobile phones taken to prevent them from calling the police, ZDNet reports.According to businessinsider.com, the armed assailants carried submachine guns; however, no injuries have been reported and the criminals have been described by Samsung employees as not violent at any point.The robbers reportedly had ID cards and access cards, which essentially gave them entry into the plant. In a media statement a Samsung representative stated, We are very concerned about this incident. Fortunately, nobody was hurt. We are fully cooperating with the ongoing police investigation, and we will do our best to avoid it happening again.A robbery this large will impact Samsungs ability to distribute devices to certain countries.A spokesperson from Samsung Electronics South Africa, stated that: 'It is regrettable that the incident took place. However, it is fortunate that there were no casualties. The authorities in Brazil are currently investigating the incident and the local Samsung subsidiary will fully cooperate with the police to resolve this issue. This incident does not have any bearing on the African market and Samsung South Africa is unable to comment or speculate on issues that could result from this case.'Darryl LiningtonRelated ArticlesUHD televisions ' what's all the hype about' (0)SA-made smartphone to launch this year (0)Samsung Apps store allows credit card payments (0)Samsung Galaxy S3 to be unveiled' (0)In pictures: Samsung's Galaxy Note 3 launch (0)Kenya's traders link to PayPal's 137-million strong database (0)
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