A man has been jailed after stealing a gold suitcase containing £175,000 worth of items from a woman outside St Pancras station in London.
Bilal Arbaoui, 32, approached the woman and offered her a tissue for her “dirty” trousers, before grabbing her luggage containing designer bags, watches and jewellery, British Transport Police (BTP) said.
Distraction theft
The victim had just arrived in London on the Eurostar from Paris on April 11. She was waiting for her taxi outside St Pancras station when a stranger claimed her trousers were dirty, BTP said.
She was handed a tissue and Arbaoui grabbed her luggage as she wiped her clothes. When the woman turned around, she saw the case was missing and Arbaoui running away with it.
CCTV footage
CCTV footage released by BTP shows the thief walking swiftly away from the entrance of King’s Cross carrying the suitcase, glancing behind his shoulder. In another clip, he is spotted walking at pace as he crosses a busy road with the suitcase in tow.
Police said they used the footage to track down Arbaoui and arrest him.
Sentencing
Arbaoui was jailed at Inner London Crown Court on Monday for 22 months following the “devious and pre-planned distraction theft” which “caused the victim great distress,” the force added.
After sentencing, BTP Sergeant James Kingsberry said: “This was a devious and pre-planned distraction theft which caused the victim great distress.
“We work tirelessly to prevent theft on the rail network and are lucky to work in an environment with exceptional CCTV coverage which helped us apprehend Arbaoui and put him before the courts.”
Arbaoui, of Neasden Lane, north-west London, pleaded guilty to theft and was also ordered to pay a surcharge of £187.
