In recent days, a large number of suspected discarded phone cases have appeared in Tuobin Street, Yongcheng City, Henan, attracting citizens to rush over to “pick up the leakage” upon hearing the news. Some people even drove tens of miles to pick up more than 50 phone cases. However, analysis suggests that what may seem like a windfall could actually lead individuals into legal disputes.
Video footage posted by netizens shows piles of phone cases scattered on an open field, unclaimed by anyone. Citizens squat by the pit, picking up phone cases and carrying them away in bags. All the phone cases are in intact packaging, with labels of phone models and some foreign writings on the packaging.
According to a report by Jimo News, a citizen named Mr. Zhang who visited the scene mentioned that he came across related videos on a short video platform and specifically drove from the city to the area on December 23 to collect about 50 phone cases. He described the phone cases as all Apple models with model numbers labeled on the packaging, covering various models from iPhone 11 to 16. He said, “No one is taking care of them, many people are picking them up, and now they have been basically picked clean.”
Another citizen, Mr. Zhao, said he saw a related video online a week ago and only had the time to go with his family on the afternoon of the 23rd. He mentioned, “There isn’t much left, all are Apple models.”
He added that he heard there were also a few Android model phone cases before, but they had already been picked up. Mr. Zhao himself picked up more than 10 phone cases, including models like iPhone 13 and 14.
He explained that these phone cases were discarded in a pit behind the village, surrounded by breeding farms.
Where did the large quantity of phone cases come from? The report states that on the afternoon of the 24th, the staff of the street office in the jurisdiction area said they were not aware of the incident and needed to consult with the person in charge. However, the responsible parties could not be reached as their phones were disconnected, and there had been no further response to calls or messages.
An article by blogger “Zhang Brother’s Opinion” pointed out that the cost of “picking up for free” could be very expensive. Article 312 of the Civil Code stipulates that the finder of lost property should return it to the rightful owner. These phone cases, with foreign language labels and intact packaging, could constitute embezzlement if they are lost goods during transportation or mistakenly discarded inventory by businesses, if not returned.
A partner at a law firm in Beijing had handled similar cases: In 2021, a logistics company mistakenly disposed of 30 boxes of headphones in the suburbs, leading to citizens rushing to the scene and ultimately being compensated at 70% of the market price.
The article raises questions: the most absurd aspect of the incident is that from the initial discovery by the first group of citizens to it being picked clean, no one reported to the police or contacted the city’s urban management department throughout the entire process.