Dramatic CCTV footage has captured the moment a ‘Rolex Ripper’ gang was caught in an elaborate police sting operation after targeting undercover officers posing as a wealthy couple in Mayfair.
The officers, who cannot be named, were wearing expensive clothing and watches as they acted as bait for the criminals on October 10 last year.
The gang followed the pair through Berkeley Square before 21-year-old Yakob Harket attempted to snatch a replica Patek Philippe Rose Gold watch from the female officer’s wrist.
What Harket and his accomplices didn’t realise was that numerous plain clothes officers were monitoring their every move, ready to swoop in.
Yakob Harket, who had at least one accomplice, is seen following the pair before trying to steal a replica Patek Philippe Rose Gold watch
Met Police
The botched robbery led to the arrest of four men involved in the watch theft operation. CCTV footage shows Harket lunging for the female officer’s wrist, unaware she was part of an undercover operation.
“He ripped the Patek Philippe watch off her wrist but dropped it, so it was recovered,” said prosecutor Henry Laidlaw.
The moment Harket grabbed the watch, officers sprang into action from all directions. One officer wearing a suit can be seen slipping over during the attempted arrest as Harket fled the scene.
The thief managed to race away briefly but was swiftly captured by police minutes later.
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Harket was arrested and confessed to robbery
Met Police
Two of his accomplices, Mohammed Naas and Adel Mohamdi, were arrested right at the scene of the attempted robbery. Plain clothes officers on bikes also rushed in to assist with the arrests.
Harket, later confessed to robbery at Southwark Crown Court, while his accomplice Mohammed Naas, 34, who was accompanied in court by an Arabic translator, was convicted by a jury after a three-day trial.
Yanis Amri, 37, and Adel Mohamdi, 31, were convicted in their absence after they absconded, with arrest warrants issued for both men.
The prosecution revealed that the undercover officers had been “tasked with walking around while posing as a wealthy couple” with expensive watches.
Mohammed Naas, Adel Mohamdi and Yanis Amri
Met Police
The male officer wore a £40,000 Rolex Sky Dealer, while the female officer’s replica Patek Philippe would be worth approximately £70,000 in its genuine form.
Naas had claimed he had no prior relationship with Harket, but prosecutors found evidence of “a lot of communication in the months leading up to the robbery.”
Phone records also showed Naas had made internet searches for Richard Mille watches the day before the attempted theft. Sentencing for all four men has been adjourned until June 2.
A Met spokesperson said: “Tackling violent crime is one of the Met’s priorities and we are determined to reduce the number of robberies.
“Uniform and plain clothes officers proactively patrol robbery hotspots to identify offences taking place, but more importantly to help prevent and deter offenders from committing robberies in the first place.”
