Four held in dawn raids targeting gang who befriended pubgoers to snatch phones

Four suspected members of a gang accused of stealing more than £300,000 by befriending people as they came out of pubs then snatching their phones have been arrested in dawn raids.

City of London Police executed warrants in the early hours of Thursday and arrested four men on suspicion of conspiracy to commit theft and conspiracy to commit fraud between September 2024 and December 2025.

The gang allegedly targeted drunk or unsuspecting members of the public by persuading them to unlock their phones, then stole the devices and used them to pay for expensive tech like mobile phones, as well as stealing thousands in cryptocurrency.

They targeted people as they came out of pubs, befriending them and asking them to look something up on a map or to store a number, before they struck, police said.

Three men aged 21, 19 and 18, from north London, were arrested along with a 31-year-old man from north-west London, police said.

All remain in custody, the force said on Thursday afternoon.

Detective Inspector Kev Hughes, from City of London Police, said: “These arrests demonstrate our determination to disrupt and dismantle organised crime groups who think they can profit from stealing people’s phones and accessing their bank accounts.

“Phone snatching is not a victimless crime. In a matter of minutes, offenders can steal not only a device but someone’s money, personal data and sense of security.

“We have already reduced phone snatching by 40% compared to last year, and we will continue to use every tool at our disposal — from proactive patrols to complex financial investigations — to drive that figure down even further.

“We would urge people to turn on advanced anti-theft features on their phones, hide financial apps behind biometrics and always shield your PIN in public.”

City of London Police are offering a service to mark phones so they can be identified and have a better chance of being returned to the victim if they are stolen.

Earlier this month, Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley called on the telecoms and tech industry to make it harder for stolen phones to be reused.

He also called on the courts to stop bailing repeat offenders, which he said was “undermining the hard work officers are doing to keep communities safe”.

The Met and City of London Police have seen a drop in the number of phone thefts in the past year.