Gang caught tunnelling into Tooting jewellers jailed
Three men pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit burglary after being discovered digging from a massage parlour.
Incident → evidence → outcomeA gang of three men caught digging a tunnel from a Tooting massage parlour into a neighbouring jewellers has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit burglary. The Metropolitan Police's Flying Squad investigation linked the group to a series of burglaries across London valued at over £700,000.
Discovery of the tunnel
Officers responded to reports of a suspected burglary on Mitcham Road in Tooting at 3.12am on July 17. Upon searching the massage parlour, police discovered the men's plan to tunnel through a wall into the adjacent jewellery shop. Tools and equipment for digging were found at the scene.
Ioan Asafeti, 39, and Laurentiu-Daniel Nitisoara, 38, both of no fixed address, pleaded guilty at Kingston Crown Court on August 21 to conspiracy to commit burglary with intent to steal and cause criminal damage. Sergiu Plastin, 42, of Portadown, Co Armagh, also pleaded guilty to the same charges.
Wider investigation
The arrests formed part of a wider investigation by the Flying Squad, which identified the men as targeting jewellers by using tunnelling techniques to gain access overnight and bypass security systems. CCTV footage showed the men acquiring tools and equipment used in the offences. Enquiries through Interpol suggested possible links to similar crimes in Europe.
Detective Superintendent Dan Mitchell of the Met Police's Flying Squad stated that the arrests not only stopped the Tooting burglary but also uncovered an organised crime group responsible for numerous jewellery shop break-ins across London worth more than £700,000. He added that commercial burglaries in the capital have decreased by 12% in the past year.
Sentencing
Laurentiu-Daniel Nitisoara was arrested in a nearby alleyway, while Ioan Asafeti was found hiding on a rooftop. Sergiu Plastin was apprehended later the same day as he attempted to leave the country for Ireland via London Stansted Airport. Police used a car linked to the group and mobile phone data to track his movements.
The three men are scheduled to be sentenced on October 23 at Kingston Crown Court.
Questions this report answers
01What did the gang do?
Three men were caught by police digging a tunnel from a massage parlour in Tooting into a neighbouring jewellers. They intended to steal goods from the shop overnight.
02What burglaries were they linked to?
The Met Police's Flying Squad investigation linked the group to a series of burglaries across London between May and July, with goods stolen valued at more than £700,000.
03When will the men be sentenced?
Ioan Asafeti, Laurentiu-Daniel Nitisoara, and Sergiu Plastin pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit burglary. They are due to be sentenced on October 23 at Kingston Crown Court.
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