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A commuter has become the latest victim in a spate of violent thefts and attempted robberies targeting people with high-value watches.
The unidentified man was at Earl’s Court station on Monday afternoon when he was chased through the ticket hall by a man in a black coat — despite there being dozens of witnesses.
Footage posted to TikTok shows the man trying to flee, at one point swinging a leaflet stand and even pushing a fellow passenger into the path of his pursuer in a bid to escape. He eventually forced his way through the barriers and out of reach.
Transport for London staff and bystanders later detained the suspect until police arrived and arrested a 20-year-old man on suspicion of common assault.
Police haven’t revealed a motive but witnesses claimed the man was trying to snatch a watch.
Brazen thefts like this are on the rise as Scotland Yard revealed that the most sought after watches by thieves were Rolex, followed by Cartier, Omega and Patek Philipp, which can sell for more than £10million.
It came as another e-bike rider was seen snatching a phone off a Londoner walking by the River Thames in Westminster in a tactic costing victims £50million-a-year.
In 2024, an average of 21 luxury watches were reported missing in the UK each day increasing year-on year from 19 per day in 2022-2023 and 12 per day in 2021.
Gangs in London dubbed ‘Rolex rippers’ are said to be stealing the watches to order.
There have been several shocking incidents in London, with police even launching undercover operations in Soho where they pretend to be wealthy tourists to bait thieves.
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British Transport Police (BTP) said of the latest incident: ‘Officers were called at around 1.40pm yesterday [Monday] to a report of a man attacking staff and a member of the public at Earl’s Court Underground station.
‘Members of the public had detained the man prior to police arrival and a man, aged 20, was arrested on suspicion of three counts of common assault and taken into custody.
Top tips for owners of luxury watches
As part of their campaign to drive down high value watch thefts, the Met has given some advice to owners.
If your watch has been stolen, don’t risk your personal safety but call 999
Take a picture of your watch for insurance purposes
Think about property-marking and registering it on a property register database
Pay attention to who’s around you when you’re out and about
Keep your valuables out of sight
Where possible, plan your route before travelling
‘Although enquiries are ongoing, there is currently no suggestion that the incident was related to an attempted watch theft.’
A TfL spokesperson added to Metro: ‘Everyone should feel safe and be safe when travelling in London. We are investigating this footage and we encourage anyone who witnessed or experienced this incident to report this to the BTP.’
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.
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