London has turned into a playground for thieves and it’s making Delhi look like paradise. Indian businessmen in the UK capital have claimed that it is safer for them to walk around in the Indian national capital than in London amid growing cases of theft of luxury watches in posh parts of the city.
They said “you are likely to be mugged” in London more than in the UK thereby discouraging them from visiting the city.
A renewable energy entrepreneur and member of FICCI executive committee, Devin Narang reportedly said the rising theft of Rolex watches on the streets of London was one of the biggest concerns of India’s business elite.
The issue was reportedly raised during UK’s Shadow foreign secretary David Lammy’s visit to New Delhi on 5th February to discuss post-Brexit trade deal talks.
Lammy said the issue had been raised several times during his short stay in India. He reportedly said that “security and fighting crime” would be key priorities for his Labour party.
“People are being mugged in the heart of London – in Mayfair,” Narang said adding that all CEOs in India have had an experience of physical mugging and the police not responding.
He further said, “Indians do carry expensive things, but the police not responding is a matter of concern. London is a walking city. You don’t want to look over your shoulder all the time. You don’t want to go to a city where you’re likely to be mugged in the streets. It doesn’t make you feel comfortable. You can walk anywhere in Delhi and you won’t be mugged.”
He said that he understood that attacks often took place in Mayfair, citing cases of people having expensive bags stolen or watches being cut off wrists in the streets.
As per reports, the Met police last month revealed that it had deployed officers undercover posing as victims to catch robbers attempting to steal Rolex and Patek Philippe watches in central London.
Two operations were conducted in late 2022 and 2023 across South Kensington, Chelsea, Soho and Mayfair deploying potential targets wearing expensive brands.
A video reportedly showed opportunistic criminals trying to mug them being apprehended by other covert officers nearby. Both operations led to more than 20 convictions.
As per data, 29,000 watches have been reported stolen in the past five years. One in five of the thefts involved violence.
Between April and September 2022, around 300 luxury watch robberies were reported stolen across Westminster, Kensington, Chelsea, Hammersmith and Fulham with a total value of abour 4 million pounds.
Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights between 11 pm and 4 am were identified as the most frequent times of theft.