Hossein Rabah, 34, of Hackney, has been jailed for 36 weeks after pleading guilty to one count of theft at Highbury Corner Magistrates’ Court on January 5.
The previous evening Rabah was arrested by plain clothes police officers, who spotted him walking around St Pancras station looking for an opportunity.
He was captured on CCTV footage entering the Kineya Mugimaru restaurant and standing behind a man and woman having dinner.
Seconds later he bent down and carefully swiped the man’s rucksack before leaving the restaurant.
However, Rabah did not know that officers were watching his every move – and they immediately arrested him for theft before handing the rucksack back to the victim.
British Transport Police (BTP) Sergeant James Ashby said: “Rabah prowled St. Pancras station looking for any opportunity to steal, but he was completely unaware that our eagle-eyed officers were attuned to his plan.
“As shown in the CCTV footage, it’s no coincidence that we were able to strike the moment Rabah committed his crime.
“Thankfully he is now behind bars, and the victim was immediately reunited with his bag which contained around £600 worth of his possessions.
“Our officers are in key locations on the rail network every day in plain clothes, so even if you don’t see us, we are there keeping you and your belongings safe.
“If you spot someone acting suspiciously as you travel, please report it to us by texting 61016.”
