Another person was robbed of their iPod in Toronto this weekend, becoming the latest victim in what appears to be a rash of similar thefts for the popular portable music player.

Digital music players like this iPod Nano are in high demand amongst thieves, according to Toronto police. (Associated Press)

Police say at least eight other people, mostly youths, have been mugged for their iPods throughout the city since late October.

And the latest incident occurs as an Ottawa murder trial unfolds for a young man accused of knifing another to death over the gadget.

"We tend to find that cellphones, iPods — digital accessories — are a popular object to obtain nowadays from street robberies, along with monies," said Toronto police Det. Chris Chilvers, who's investigating the latest mugging as part of a larger series of robberies Friday night.

Nine youths face 81 charges following at least five robberies, which also netted two cellphones and wallets not far from downtown Toronto. The age of the latest victim who had his iPod stolen is not yet known.

During the apparently random attacks, Chilvers said men from 18 to 48 years old were pummelled with a steel object alleged to be a meat tenderizer, causing serious injuries to the head and face.

The arrests were made as part of a wider police initiative against street robbery that sees officers targeting areas for 24 hours, he said.

"We've seen a bit of a rise in street robberies since school has begun," he said.

Youths tend to be more frequently victimized in the case of digital device robberies, agreed Const. Wayne Patterson, a spokesperson for Peel region police.

"It's very trendy, very marketable. If kids don't have [an iPod] they want one. And it comes up from time to time where they're being stolen," he said.

Patterson said he hasn't seen the latest robberies become "epidemic" in his region. But, he added, he's not surprised by the pattern simply because popular items are always the first to get stolen.

"Years ago, when $200 Nikes were the rage, those things got stolen," he added. "Like, 'Gimme your shoes, those are good shoes, I want your shoes."'

Prosecutors in Ottawa told a jury this week that Michael Oatway, 23, was killed for his girlfriend's iPod during an apparently random attack in September 2006.

Crown counsel said Oatway was sitting in the back of a city bus when it's alleged four younger men approached him, one brandishing a knife that later pierced the man's heart.

The accused, who can not be named because he was 17 at the time, has pleaded not guilty.

While the muggings frequently have an element of violence to them, Patterson said he won't tell the public to avoid going for a run outdoors while listening to their beloved music players.

"If they are confronted and they are threatened by someone, they should hand it over," he said. "Albeit it's expensive and it takes a lot of work to download everything — it's only a piece of property.

"And if their health is at risk, hand it over, let them be on their way, get the best description you can and call us, we'll deal with it."

Police also suggest simply wearing a less expensive set of earphones that don't identify the wearer as listening to an iPod.