'Devious' thief jailed after stealing £175,000 luggage in 'distraction theft' at St Pancras
Bilal Arbaoui grabbed the victim's luggage, containing items including designer bags, watches and jewellery, during the distraction theft.
A “devious” thief who stole luggage containing £175,000 worth of items has been jailed for 22 months.
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CCTV footage shows Bilal Arbaoui, 32, wheeling the gold hard-shelled suitcase around after the “devious and pre-planned distraction theft which caused the victim great distress”, the British Transport Police (BTP) said.
Arbaoui, of Neasden Lane, north-west London, pleaded guilty to theft and was sentenced at Inner London Crown Court to 22 months’ imprisonment as well as being ordered to pay a surcharge of £187.
His 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.
She was handed a tissue and Arbaoui grabbed her luggage, containing items including designer bags, watches and jewellery, as she wiped her clothes.
When the woman turned around, she saw the case was missing and Arbaoui running away with it, BTP said.
She then flagged down an officer at the station and reported the theft.
'Devious and pre-planned'
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.”