BEIJING // A man arrested for attempting to smuggle 94 smartphones into China by strapping them to his body has been mocked after photos of his “iPhone armour” went viral.
Images of the man show him covered in dozens of handsets, held together under his outer clothes with cling film and masking tape, with commentators comparing him to comic book superheroes.
He was held in the southern city of Shenzhen as he tried to enter from neighbouring Hong Kong with his hidden cargo, the People's Daily state newspaper said on Monday.
Hong Kong is controlled by Beijing but maintains separate trade rules from the mainland under the “One country, two systems” principle.
"When the [man] passed through the metal detector gate, it made a loud and clear alarm," the People's Daily said.
Despite being made in China, iPhones are relatively expensive in the country – with many users having to sign up to long-term contracts with mobile companies – and there is a thriving grey market trade from Hong Kong.
Users of China’s Sina Weibo social media site – similar to Twitter – labelled the smuggler “Apple Man”, using a Chinese character commonly used for superheroes, including Marvel’s Iron Man.
“I just keep thinking this guy is trying to imitate Iron Man,” one Weibo user said on Tuesday.
* Agence France-Presse
