Fake police officers rob men in Bethnal Green and London Fields
One of the two victims was approached in Bethnal Green Road by two men pretending to be plain clothes police officers. Picture: GOOGLE - Credit: Archant
Two men were robbed days apart by suspects posing as plain clothes police officers, the Met has said.
Police were called at 11:30pm last Friday to reports of a man in his 50s being robbed in Bethnal Green Road.
Two men approached him telling him they were undercover police officers and flashing badges, the victim alleged.
They then stole his money before fleeing.
A second man, aged in his 60s, said he was approached by two men in London Fields at around 00.45am on Sunday.
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They told the victim they were plain clothes police officers showing him ID before searching him.
They told him they needed to see ID, but as he didn’t have any they would need to take him home to get it.
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Once there the suspects stole a number of things before fleeing.
Detectives have linked the two incidents and appealed for information.
Det Cons Alex Heaton, said: “While we don’t want to cause unnecessary alarm, we are reminding the public to remain vigilant and asking anyone who believes they may have been a victim of a similar theft to come forward.
“If you are approached by someone claiming to be a police officer and you are not sure if they are genuine or not, you can ring 101 and ask them to confirm their details.
“No undercover officer will ask you for bank details, nor should you ever give your PIN number to anyone you don’t know.”
The first suspect is described as a black man with a slight beard. He was wearing a T-shirt with a red and blue motif on the front.
The second suspect was a white man wearing a cap and glasses with a rucksack on his back.
Anyone with information should call 101.