A thief who masterminded what police described as a “well-rehearsed” high-value theft at St Pancras International has been jailed after stealing a suitcase containing around £175,000 worth of designer goods and jewellery. Bilal Arbaoui, 32, an Algerian national from Neasden Lane, north-west London, pleaded guilty to theft and was sentenced to one year and 10 months in prison at Inner London Crown Court on Monday, 3 August. The theft happened on Saturday, 11 April, after the victim arrived at St Pancras on a Eurostar service from Paris. She had made her way outside the station to meet her pre-arranged taxi when she was approached by someone wearing a high-visibility jacket who claimed her driver’s documents were dirty. As the victim wiped a mark from the clothing, Arbaoui made off with her gold hard-shelled suitcase containing approximately £175,000 worth of high-value items, including designer handbags, watches and jewellery. When the woman turned around, she discovered her suitcase was missing and saw Arbaoui running away with it. She alerted an officer at the station and reported the theft. British Transport Police detectives arrested Arbaoui. Despite initially denying he was the man captured in CCTV footage of the theft, he later pleaded guilty. 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. “Now behind bars, I hope Arbaoui realises that we have eyes everywhere and we’ll stop at nothing to bring thieves like him to justice.” Anyone who experiences or witnesses a theft on the railway is urged to report it to British Transport Police by texting 61016.

Originally published by UKNIP.