Tech Shout!

A 14-year-old boy stole an Xbox 360 and then tried to play it safe as well.

The youngster residing in Wellington, New Zealand, apparently not only stole the Xbox 360 gaming console, but also went ahead and tried to register the console with Microsoft so that he could play the games online. What’s more, he also ordered an extra set of cables. The incident took place on January 23, 2007, where the accused had stolen items worth $700 (approx. Rs. 30,000) from a property in Mt. Victoria.

If you are stunned by this bit of the news, there’s something more shocking awaiting you. Interestingly, the New Zealand police could arrest him, only two weeks later but didn’t as Microsoft did not want to disclose any personal details of its clients. Microsoft had the young lads name, address and phone number, but would not reveal the information to the police. It also stated that being a United States-based company, it was not bound to New Zealand laws.

The victim of the theft is furious as Microsoft knew the man’s details but refused to disclose it, especially given that others may also have been burgled by the same accused.

“This will happen again if they don’t change their ways,” he said. “They knew it was stolen, and they just did nothing.”

Detective Sergeant Martin Todd differed on this saying, “Microsoft was acting within its rights and had no legal obligation to help. Microsoft haven’t been obstructive in any way.”