Rolex thieves jailed after undercover sting in Mayfair, London

Two men have been jailed after attempting to steal a luxury watch from undercover police officers posing as a wealthy couple in Mayfair.

Undercover officers snare luxury watch thieves in Mayfair sting

Two men have been sentenced to prison after they were caught attempting to rob undercover Metropolitan Police officers of a high-value watch in central London, independent.co.uk reports.

Yakob Harket, 21, of no fixed address, and Mohamed Naas, 35, of Jamaica Road, Southwark, were arrested following an incident in Hays Mews, Mayfair, at around 6.15pm on 10 October last year. Harket attempted to steal a luxury watch from plain-clothed officers who were posing as a wealthy couple.

Harket pleaded guilty to robbery, while Naas was found guilty following a trial at Southwark Crown Court on 11 April. Harket was sentenced to two years in prison; Naas received three years.

A Metropolitan Police spokesman said 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."

The arrests form part of a broader police operation targeting watch theft in Mayfair, an area that has seen a series of high-profile luxury timepiece robberies. In a separate incident, fashion designer Catalin Botezatu was robbed of a £170,000 Richard Mille watch outside a restaurant in the same district.

Source: The Sun