Prolific parcel thief is facing prison after victim uncovered him by tracking down luxury stolen items online… and matching his tattoos to CCTV

A prolific parcel thief who stole parcels worth thousands of pounds is facing prison after he spotted a woman trying to sell her stolen goods online and used her tattoos to track her down.

Camila Martins, from Westminster, London, was stunned after receiving a phone call from her DHL delivery driver on March 12 asking where the package she had left for collection was.

The confusion deepened after he discovered another package delivered by DPD was also missing, despite receiving an email at 12.42am saying it had been dropped off.

Turning to CCTV for answers, the 44-year-old watched the brazen thief slide into the back of a DPD van to gain access to the closed Mews.

Footage shared exclusively with the Daily Mail shows the man lurking as the van drops off packages to neighbors before turning onto Ms Martin’s street.

The thief chats with the driver as the packages are delivered, then lights a cigarette and seemingly walks away as the van drives off.

Minutes later, the man in a blue camouflage North Face vest returns. She checks to see if anyone is home, seizes her chance and snags packages, including Chanel headphones worth around £1,000, before heading towards the exit.

The thief, identified as 31-year-old Ali Sadeghi, pleaded guilty at Westminster Magistrates’ Court last month to two charges of theft, one in September 2025 and the other relating to Ms Martins.

Sadeghi is disguised as a packet and the packets are delivered by the driver before lighting the cigarette

Moments later, Sadeghi returns, wearing a blue camouflage North Face vest. He checks to see if anyone is home, takes the opportunity and grabs the packages.

Sadeghi was caught leaving the gated Mews with packages under his arm

“What I saw shocked me,” Ms Martins told the Mail. ‘One of the items was Chanel headphones for which I paid £900 and a Harrods perfume which cost £295.’

Ms Martins scoured online resale sites and surprisingly found the exact pair of stolen Chanel Shearling Lambskin Black & White headphones being sold on an eBay account.

He identified them using the unique serial number, although the price had jumped from £900 to £2,556.70.

Ms Martins’ suspicions were further strengthened when she noticed that the stolen Alexander J Imperial Peacock Eau de Parfum product was listed on the same account and was now deactivated.

As he continued his search, he pored over hundreds of listings and came across photos showing hands holding a camera lens with a distinctive bird tattoo.

A sense of deja vu set in and Ms Martins flashed back to CCTV footage showing the thief leaving her neighborhood with packages under his arm (with tattoos of the same birds on his hands).

“I went online to see if I could find a replacement pair of Chanel headphones for my client, and then I found the exact pair that had been stolen from me,” Ms Martins said.

‘I knew they belonged to me because of the serial number. Since they are produced in limited quantities, each product has its own identifying QR code.

Ms Martins scoured online resale sites and surprisingly found the exact pair of stolen Chanel Shearling Lambskin Black & White headphones being sold on an eBay account.

His suspicions were further strengthened when he noticed that the stolen Alexander J Imperial Peacock Eau de Parfum was listed on the same account.

‘I noticed the man had tattoos on his hand, including a flying bird, so I went back to the CCTV footage and was able to match them.’

Determined to get the items back, Miss Martins began texting the suspected thief, arranging to meet him in person and offering him £1,000 in cash. However, during their conversation, he suddenly became silent.

Miss Martins then contacted eBay and bought the item back for £2,657 (about £1,000 more than she had originally paid) using a friend’s account, believing the money would be refunded.

Currently in dispute with both the online sales platform and DPD regarding refunds.

“I’m more annoyed that eBay and DPD refuse to help, not at him, he’s just a jerk,” Ms Martins said.

‘They say the delivery was successful even though it was on my street because the DPD driver opened the door. He was probably watching them. Otherwise he wouldn’t have known the packages were there.’

The extent of Sadeghi’s operation became clearer when Ms Martins was asked to purchase the item from a Vinted account due to the ‘high service fee’ that eBay had added. Images of items on the account showed the same tattooed hands.

‘There were approximately 500 items listed and approximately 300 sales. “This shows that he stole approximately 800 packages,” he said.

Continuing her search, Ms. Martins pored over hundreds of listings and came across photographs showing a camera lens held by hands with distinctive bird tattoos.

A sense of déjà vu arose and took him back to CCTV footage of Sadeghi leaving the neighborhood with packages under his arm and identical tattoos on his hands.

‘I think it’s his job. I know it is. He must have been doing this for over a year. He even has an iPhone 17, so he’s not just someone who steals to fund his drug habit.’

The extent of Sadeghi’s theft was revealed when Ms. Martins posted a warning about the man on the neighborhood social site NextDoor, prompting a flood of responses.

One of them claimed the thief went as far as posing as a delivery driver by wearing a high-vis vest to steal packages.

He explained: ‘There were many more times he was caught on CCTV stealing packages. There is another post on NextDoor. ‘The same man was stealing a package in December 2025.’

A poster with a photo of Sadeghi wearing a hat was also put up on a nearby property: ‘Don’t let this man enter the building.

‘He stole a package last year. The police have been notified so please contact us if you spot him.’

Ms Martins contacted the police and they told her they knew who she was. He explains: ‘The police officer told me that he had been arrested before. They told me he was wanted. We know him, but he has no fixed address and lives in an abandoned house.

‘The guy has a Vinted account, can take photos of clothes and sunglasses, and has space to store 500 items on sale. I think he’s got somewhere to live.’

The extent of Sadeghi’s theft was revealed when Camila posted a warning about the man on the neighborhood social site NextDoor. A poster featuring a photo of Sadeghi wearing a hat was also put up on a nearby property, warning residents about him.

Ms Martins continued: ‘If you have an eBay and Vinted account these can be linked back to a bank account. The money has to go somewhere. And if he has over 300 sales on Vinted, his identity needs to be verified.’

Parcel thefts in the UK have increased levels, with an estimated £666.5 million of parcels stolen in 2025.

Ms Martins said there was no impact on parcel thieves as thefts were ‘clearly increasing’.

He said: ‘There is some courage in thieves who don’t seem to care about CCTV at all, probably because they know nothing will happen to them. ‘People report these incidents, but when there is little or no follow-up, it only encourages more incidents.’

A Met Police spokesman said: ‘Ali Sadeghi (07.06.94), aged 31, of Lanhill Road W9, will be remanded in custody at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Monday, April 27, on two charges of theft.

The offenses relate to events that occurred in the borough of Westminster on 8 September 2025 and 12 March 2026.’

A spokesperson for DPD said: ‘We have investigated this delivery and can confirm that the recipient gave instructions to leave safely via the DPD app Consumer Safe Location option, with specific instructions for the location if no one was home.

‘Our driver followed the instructions and delivered the package to the designated safe location as stated.

‘Unfortunately, as the buyer instructed the secure leave, no claims can be made in respect of subsequent losses as he accepts liability.’

An eBay spokesperson said: ‘The sale of stolen goods is strictly prohibited on eBay. We work closely with law enforcement and if we receive confirmation that an item has been stolen we immediately remove it and take action against the seller.

‘We encourage users to contact local law enforcement if they suspect an item has been stolen. While we cannot comment on specific situations, given the circumstances, we are offering your reader a full refund.’

The Daily Mail has contacted Vinted for comment.