Moment influencer has £10,000 Hermes Birkin bag stolen from Oxford Street changing room
18 December 2024, 14:15
The moment an influencer had her £10,000 handbag stolen while shopping for designer clothes in London has been caught on camera.
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Janice Joostema, an influencer with 1.2 million followers on Instagram, was shopping in Manure Devoir on Oxford Street when the thief snuck into her dressing room to steal the bag.
In a TikTok video, Joostema revealed footage of the thief lingering outside the dressing room, before snatching the luxury good.
Explaining the incident in a caption, she wrote: "Beware of this girl Londoners", adding "she probably even saw me topless coming into the room".
The influencer can be seen afterwards running around the shop, searching for her bag after realising it was missing.
The handbag was a Hermes JPG Shoulder Birkin, in red, which are regularly sold for around £10,000 online.
Joostema said: "People work hard for what they have, and these people come along."
A Metropolitan Police spokesperson said: "On Tuesday, 17 December, following circulation of a video of the incident, officers contacted the victim of a theft that happened inside a shop in Oxford Street.
"No arrests have been made at this stage. This matter is under investigation."
It's the latest in a string of designer handbag thefts.
In November, thieves smashed their way into a luxury goods store, stealing over half a million pounds worth of designer handbags.
In the footage shows the duo clambering around the store, arms laden with womenswear.
The targeted attack on the resale store capitalised on a host of luxury goods available.
During the raid, a number of additional items - including sought-after gold earrings, were also stolen, the store confirmed.
The pair of thieves can then be seen leaping through the smashed front door before making their escape using a waiting e-bike and a motorbike parked outside - one of which was driven by a third accomplice acting as a getaway rider.
"I'm absolutely speechless," said the store's owner following the raid.
"They took everything they could... there was blood everywhere".
They summarised: "London has turned into something crazy".
