Thieves nab 40,000 Samsung devices through a daring Brazilian heist

When you think of gadget thefts, odds are that you picture muggings or smash-and-grabs at stores. Apparently, one group of thieves in Brazil had far more ambitious plans -- it raided Samsung's factory in Campinas (shown here) and stole more than 40,000 laptops, phones and tablets that police estimate are worth $36 million. Reportedly, the heist played out much like a movie. The bandits both hijacked a company shuttle to get inside and took some of the workers hostage, going so far as to confiscate phone batteries so that no one could alert the police.

None of the culprits have been identified, and Samsung contends that the actual value of the stolen goods is lower. However, authorities suspect that the crooks had inside help; they knew not just how to get in, but also where they would find certain valuables. Samsung will try to prevent a "repeat incident," but a lot of damage has already been done. Those devices likely aren't coming back, and future production runs might not be safe if the robbers really did get assistance from corrupt workers.

[Image credit: Yasuyoshi Chiba/AFP/Getty Images]