This is the moment a thief who prowled a central London train station to swipe rucksacks was caught in the act by undercover police.
Hossein Rabah, 34, had been loitering near a restaurant at St Pancras International.
CCTV footage captures him entering Japanese eatery Kineya Mugimaru and stood behind Thijs Wijnberg who was having dinner with a woman.
Unbeknown to Rabah, the plain clothes British Transport Police officers were watching his every move.
Seconds later he bent down and carefully swiped the man’s rucksack containing £600 of possessions before leaving the venue.
Officers leapt into action, immediately arresting Rabah, of Henry Road, Hackney, for the brazen theft and handing the rucksack back to Mr Wijnberg.
On January 5, within 24 hours of the offence, he pleaded guilty to one count of theft at Highbury Corner Magistrates’ Court and was jailed for 36 weeks.
Sergeant James Ashby said: “Rabah prowled St Pancras station looking for any opportunity to steal, but he was completely unaware that our eagle-eyed officers were attuned to his plan.
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“As shown in the clear CCTV footage, it’s no coincidence that we were able to strike the moment Rabah committed his crime. Thankfully he is now behind bars, and the victim was immediately reunited with his bag which contained around £600 worth of his possessions.
“Our officers are in key locations on the rail network every day in plain clothes, so even if you don’t see us, we are there keeping you and your belongings safe. If you spot someone acting suspiciously as you travel, please report it to us by texting 61016.”
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