Undercover Sting Foils Rolex Robbers in Mayfair as Gang Targets Police by Mistake

[Social Media]

 

Undercover Sting Foils Rolex Robbers in Mayfair as Gang Targets Police by Mistake

 

A group of so-called "Rolex rippers" were dramatically arrested in London’s Mayfair after they mistakenly targeted a pair of undercover police officers posing as a wealthy couple. The incident, which unfolded on October 10, 2024, was caught on CCTV and has since been revealed as part of a wider operation to tackle a spate of high-end watch robberies in the capital.

Two police officers posed as a wealthy couple in Mayfair to snare a team of Rolex rippers https://t.co/1x0Ps411Si pic.twitter.com/zEKzbehNp7

— CourtNewsUK (@CourtNewsUK) April 16, 2025

 

The plainclothes officers, referred to only as A and B, were strategically placed in Berkeley Square wearing designer clothing and accessories, including replica luxury watches, to attract and catch criminals in the act. As they walked through the square, 21-year-old Yakob Harket pounced, ripping a fake Patek Philippe Rose Gold watch from the female officer’s wrist. Although the watch was dropped and quickly recovered, the attempt triggered an immediate and coordinated response from other nearby officers.

 

 

One officer, dressed in a suit, slipped while attempting to detain Harket, who momentarily escaped, but he was soon arrested. Two of his accomplices were caught at the scene, while others fled. Harket later admitted to robbery at Southwark Crown Court. His accomplice, 34-year-old Mohammed Naas, denied the charges but was convicted of robbery by a jury after a three-day trial. Two additional gang members, Yanis Amri, 37, and Adel Mohamdi, 31, were found guilty in their absence after fleeing prior to the court proceedings. Warrants have now been issued for their arrests.

 

 

During the trial, prosecutor Henry Laidlaw explained, “The undercover officers, referred to as A and B, were tasked with walking around while posing as a wealthy couple. He [Harket] ripped the Patek Philippe watch off her wrist but dropped it, so it was recovered.” He added, “You will have seen there, there were a large number of plain clothes officers who sprang into action. Mohamadi and Naas were arrested right next to the offence.”

 

Footage presented in court showed the officers being followed from Berkeley Square to Hays Mews by the suspects. Naas, in his defence, claimed he had woken up at a friend’s house on Edgware Road, had lunch, and later went to Tottenham Court Road to buy cigarettes. He alleged that he had only bumped into Mohamdi and that they had ended up in Shepherd’s Market after meeting for coffee. “Mr Naas said the robbery happened right in front of him. He said he knew Harket but they had never had a conversation,” said Laidlaw.

 

However, the prosecution revealed that Naas had been in regular contact with Harket in the months leading up to the robbery. Laidlaw told jurors, “The prosecution's case, as evidenced by the phone, is he knew Harket well and had a lot of communication in the months leading up to the robbery.

 

Phones were downloaded and a number of internet searches had been made by Naas on 9 October for Richard Mille watches.” He concluded, “Mr Naas did exactly what he was required to do, make sure they were under observation at all times. It is the prosecution's case that Naas was an essential cog in a machine and played a knowing and willing part in the robbery.”

 

Sentencing for Harket has been adjourned until June 2, 2024, while the hunt continues for Mohamdi and Amri.

 

In a separate case earlier this week, 28-year-old Algerian national Anis Benemri was jailed for 32 months after he robbed tourist Karl Christian Septien of his £250,000 “Bubba Watson” watch in front of his children outside the Novikov Restaurant on Berkeley Street.

 

A Metropolitan Police spokesperson commented, “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.”

 

Based on a report by The Daily Mail  2025-04-18

 

 

[roo860]

Usual suspects 

[wombat]

Rolex are so yesterday...Mr Wong has them for 3k.

[fulhamster]

Deport them all

[BangkokReady]

Quote

Moment 'Rolex ripper' gang mistakenly target pair of undercover police officers in Mayfair - before being swarmed and arrested by cops

 

Daily mail headline.  Really weird that they say "by mistake".  The undercover were obviously meant to look like people they would want to mug.

[Geoffggi]

2 hours ago, wombat said:

Rolex are so yesterday...Mr Wong has them for 3k.

 

Is he still there? it must be around 25 years since I was last in his shop

[PETERTHEEATER]

Two tier policing means that these thieves will be each losing a hand?

[merck]

15 hours ago, Social Media said:

Sentencing for Harket has been adjourned until June 2, 2024

2024 2025

[NickyLouie]

DEI hire black lady cop was useless in that vid.

 

Mohammed Naas,Yanis Amri, and Adel Mohamdi =  British ?

[CallumWK]

37 minutes ago, NickyLouie said:

DEI hire black lady cop was useless in that vid.

 

Mohammed Naas,Yanis Amri, and Adel Mohamdi =  British ?

 

NickyLouie = racist?

[hotsun]

7 minutes ago, CallumWK said:

 

NickyLouie = racist?

He seems like a fine chap. The UK government is more racist