Moment two brazen thieves calmly go through pubgoers’ bags as they stand chatting nearby
Two brazen thieves caught on CCTV footage going through pub patrons’ bags have been jailed.
Majazy Latif, 28, and Youcef Aliouat, 32, were seen stealing a laptop from a bar in Cannon Street, east London, while the happily unaware victim stood nearby.
In footage released by the City of London Police, the duo of ‘professional criminals’ go through punters’ belongings for nearly seven minutes in front of unsuspecting bar staff.
After ordering drinks, Aliouat pulls up a chair in front of the bags left on the floor next to the bar in an attempt to hide his crimes.
He and Latif then continue going through the bar patrons’ belongings until they come across a laptop, which they take out and put into their respective backpacks.
In the final moments of the video, Latif can be seen shamelessly sipping his drink while walking towards another part of the venue with the laptop he put in his bag.
It later became clear that this was far from an isolated incident, with both men being put behind bars this week for a string of burglaries.
Latif was sentenced to 23 months in prison after pleading guilty to nine counts of theft, in which he stole personal items worth nearly £15,000 between August 6 and September 25, 2025.
Two brazen thieves caught on CCTV footage going through pubgoers’ bags (blue and white picture) have been jailed
Majazy Latif, 28, and Youcef Aliouat, 32, shamelessly walked away with a drink after stealing a punter’s laptop
Aliouat, meanwhile, was sentenced to 18 months in prison for stealing nine laptops between August 14 and October 6, 2025.
Police Constable Pradip Young said after the sentencing: ‘These are professional criminals who take their time by stealing other people’s belongings and transferring valuables from their victims’ bags into their own.
‘The thieves acted with great courage, standing next to the bar and committing their crime while their victims were drinking nearby.’
‘Latif and Aliouat seized an opportunity and calmly stole from the others while blending in to emulate the other City drinkers.’
In another crime captured on CCTV footage, Aliouat was seen stealing a laptop from a bar in Aldgate, east London, on August 6 last year.
He committed the crime alongside 28-year-old Mounir Ghilas, who was sentenced to 18 months in prison last year after pleading guilty to 18 counts of theft between August 5 and September 25.
While millions of pounds worth of goods were stolen on the streets of London in 2025, thieves targeted items such as phones, watches and jewellery.
But these crimes are not relegated to the poorest parts of London. Criminals began to turn to the capital’s most luxurious areas, such as Mayfair and Westminster, in search of expensive goods.
Data collected by the Daily Mail in December revealed 3,207 items worth more than £1,000 each were smuggled in last year.
Aliouat (left) and Latif (right) were put behind bars for a series of thefts last summer
It is estimated that the total price of the stolen items exceeds £5 million, with watches worth up to £30,000 among those looted.
Westminster has been identified as the biggest hotspot for all types of theft, with 363 handbags, 309 watches and 104 jewelery stolen in the central London borough between January 2024 and August 2025.
Some of the best-known victims of last year’s robberies in London include Bridgerton’s Genevieve Chenneour, Loose Women’s Christine Lampard and Jenson Button’s wife Brittny.
This crime wave is also fueled from abroad; Prolific gangs of thieves are entering the UK from countries such as Algeria and Bulgaria, stealing thousands of pounds worth of items from unsuspecting members of the public.
