Plain-clothed officers swooped in on a bag thief just moments after he stole a bag full of the victim’s belongings in a sneaky bag swap.
On Thursday 19 March 2026, at around 8:30pm, Mohamed Hade, 32, of Ranelagh Road, NW10, was spotted by plain-clothed officers coming out of a pub on Farringdon Street with a different bag to the one he went in with.
As Hade headed towards New Bridge Street in the direction of another venue, officers jumped in and arrested him for theft.
CCTV footage showed Hade switching bags while he was sat at a table next to a group of people.
The stolen bag found on Hade contained a laptop with a value of £1,700.
The victim, realising his bag was gone, was about to report the theft to the police when officers turned up with his recovered belongings at the pub and they were returned to him.
Sergeant James Wood, of the Proactive Acquisitive Crime Team at the City of London Police, said:
“Opportunistic crimes such as bag and phone thefts can severely impact victims.
“The Proactive Acquisitive Crime Team’s expertise in spotting criminals preying on people out in the City have resulted in a number of arrests and prosecutions.
“We will continue to disrupt and target these criminals with our plain-clothed operations, intelligence work and the use of our extensive CCTV network across the City, which also assists us in identifying offenders.
“People shouldn’t worry about having their bags stolen while out, but professional criminals will seize any opportunity to take your belongings. We urge vigilance and to report anything suspicious to the police.”
Hade pleaded guilty at Central London Magistrates’ Court to one count of theft from the person and was sentenced to three months in prison.
