A man who disguised himself as a woman to rob over £600,000 of jewellery has today, Thursday 8 August been sentenced to 10 years imprisonment at the Old Bailey for his part in a series of robberies.
Vasile Bogdan, 35, a Romanian national, of no fixed abode, was caught on 25 January 2013 after he was chased by the jewellery store owner at the scene of his final robbery.
Detectives from the Metropolitan Police Service’s (MPS) Flying Squad successfully linked Bogdan to five jewellery store robberies. On each occasion he had disguised himself as a woman to enter the store and make sure the rest of the gang could quickly get in.
On 25 November 2012 at a jewellery store in High Street, E12, Bogdan tricked his way inside before a group of men burst in wielding sledge hammers. They escaped with £60, 000 of gold jewellery. Detectives tracked down their escape route and recovered Bogdan’s clothes and masks in a nearby park.
Striking the following month on 4 December Bogdan once again disguised himself as a woman and the rest of the gang burst in. Security measures in the store in Plashet Grove, E6, meant they could only get away with £35,000 of jewellery.
Their escape route was once again pieced together and clothing recovered from a nearby railway line and housing estate.
The gang struck again on 22 December in Green Street, E7, when this time two men disguised as women got into the jewellery store. Men wielding sledge hammers made off with £350,000 of gold jewellery.
Moving to Birmingham on 5 January 2013 the gang got away empty handed after security measures in the Stratford Road store thwarted their efforts. The ten men, including one disguised as a woman, ran along Alfred Road discarding balaclavas, gloves and sledge hammers.
Twenty days later they were back in London and carried out a robbery in Bethnal Green Road, E1. Between six to eight men ransacked the jewellery store after smashing the display cases with sledge hammers, getting away with £100,000. The gang ran off into Weavers Field Park.
It was in Weavers Field Park that Bogdan was caught by the jewellery store owner.
Officers arrested him at the scene, and found him to have 950euros in cash and £320.
The Flying Squad investigation is ongoing to trace the other men who are part of the gang.
Bodgan was charged with conspiracy to commit robbery on 21 May 2013 and pleaded guilty on 6 August.
Detective Inspector Ralf Kirchel, from the Flying Squad, said:
“I’d like to thank the jewellery owner store who bravely chased after the gang after they’d robbed his store. This gang developed a MO that worked, and they kept repeating it stealing thousands and thousands of pounds of gold jewellery.
“They are clearly highly organised and put preparation and planning into each offence. We know that Bogdan came into the UK on 23 January, from Hungary. Our investigation is ongoing and does have links to other countries; we will do everything we can to track down the rest of this gang.”
Detectives know that up to ten men have been involved in the robberies
