CCTV footage of a woman in China making a daring attempt to steal an iPhone at a police station but soon getting arrested within an hour.

The video, captured on the police security cameras in Anhui Province late last month, shows the woman standing beside an officer and waiting to verify some documents, when she notices and picks up the phone on the desk. She plays it in hand for a while and then calmly putting it in her pocket.

While the officer didn't realise the loss until fifteen minutes later, the police managed to spot the woman on surveillance and arrested her before she was able to remove the phone from her coat.

According to news reports, the suspect is currently in custody pending further investigation.