Hunt for night raider caught on camera at Poplar Islamic centre during series of break-ins
Suspect caught on camera at Poplar Islamic centre, last of four places raided in one night - Credit: MPS
This is the image of a night-time intruder who breaks into two Islamic centres, a community centre and a takeaway all in a night in London’s East End.
Suspect caught on camera at Poplar Islamic centre, last of four places raided in one night - Credit: MPS
Now detectives this-morning have issued CCTV footage from one of the centres of the suspect they’re looking for who they believe is linked to a series of burglaries within minutes of each other, over a wide area from Poplar to Bethnal Green.
The suspect is also caught on camera making his getaway on a motorbike which detectives think was used to get to four premises rapidly.
“There have been no arrests yet, but our investigations continue,” Det Con Ryan Smith heading the investigation by Tower Hamlets CID said. “We want to hear from anyone who may recognise the man seen in the CCTV footage to contact us.”
The last break-in was reported at Poplar’s Islamic Cultural Centre near the Blackwall Tunnel on October 16 at 7.30am.
The CCTV camera at the premises in Aberfeldy Street shows a man breaking in through the front door, go towards the safe and try to pry it open with his hands—but fails, then leaves and gets away on a motorbike.
The Hifzul Quran and Islamic education centre a mile away at Burdett Road in Limehouse was busted into four hours earlier that night, between 3 and 3.40am, where the door was broken and £100 taken from the till.
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Two other burglaries were reported the same night at Poplar’s Rainbow Spice takeaway in Aberfeldy Street, which was broken into when the door was forced and £200 grabbed from the till, and at Bethnal Green’s Bishop community centre in Bishops Way where the door, again, was broken open and £100 taken.
The man caught on camera is described as 5ft 10ins tall, who was wearing a black crash helmet, light coloured hooded jacket and dark trousers with a left leg colour patch from the knee down.
Witnesses or anyone with information is being urged by detectives to contact Tower Hamlets CID by dialling 101, or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800-555 111 or online crimestoppers-uk.org.
