A pickpocket gang of 11 people stealing mobile phones on the Tube network, making £10,000 per day, have been jailed for 30 years. They used a premises in Southall as their storage facility.

An increase in the theft of mobile phones on the London Underground network led to launch of Operation Park in July 2013. Mobiles stolen from the rail network were being sold at a business in East Ham.

Enquiries led police to a storage facility in Southall where a number of stolen mobiles and quantities of cash were being stored. Nawid Moshfiq was identified as leading a network of people who were dealing the stolen phones.

The police investigation found that the facility was home to a sophisticated business operation, earning on average £10,000 a day, with working hours of between 2pm and 10pm, presided over by Nawid – referred to as “The Boss” by Raza.

On 11 September 2014, 32 warrants were executed and a number of raids on private and commercial properties were carried out. Thirteen people were arrested, £143,000 in cash was seized, over 1100 pieces of property seized and a substantial amount of stolen phones recovered. At one address, officers seized more than £23,000 which had been hidden in different rooms of the house, including inside a child’s jacket.

This led to eleven people being charged with conspiracy to handle stolen goods and money laundering offences. Two of these individuals were from Southall.

Detective Chief Inspector John Justice said: "This was a long and complex investigation into a highly organised criminal gang who used stolen property from the rail network for their personal gain."

"To truly tackle theft, we can’t just catch pickpockets and petty thieves; we have to also dismantle the criminal networks behind them, who profit from this type of crime. Phones are often stolen out of view of CCTV in crowded carriages or busy stations without the owner even realising. This makes it hard for us to catch thieves in the act and even when we do, we often find they are only small players in much bigger criminal organisations."

"This investigation shows how tirelessly we will work to bring these people before the courts and I welcome the sentences handed down to the defendants."

Two trials took place at Blackfriars Crown Court and all eleven defendants were found guilty and were sentenced as follows:

Ranjit Banger, 31-years-old, of Selby Gardens, Southall:
3 years imprisonment for conspiracy to handle stolen goods and 3 years for conspiracy to money launder. Sentences to run concurrently.

Mubarak Korasi, 41-years-old of Endsleigh Road, Southall:
2 years 6 Months imprisonment for conspiracy to handle stolen goods, 18 months for conspiracy to money launder and 12 months for possession of criminal property. Sentences to run concurrently.

Nawid Moshfiq, 39-years-old, of Holland Gardens, Brentford:
5 years imprisonment for conspiracy to handle stolen goods, 3 years imprisonment for conspiracy to money launder and 18 months imprisonment for possession of criminal property. Sentences to run concurrently.

Olia Moshfiq, 36-years-old, of Holland Gardens, Brentford:
2 years imprisonment for conspiracy to money launder and 18 months imprisoment for possession of criminal property. Sentences to run concurrently.

Ahmed Raza, 28-years-old, of Church Road, Leyton:
2 years and six motnhs imprisonment for conspiracy to handle stolen goods and 2 years and 6 months for conspiracy to money launder. Sentences to run concurrently.

Ariji Singh Sethi, 43-years-old, of Eldon Avenue, Hounslow:
2 years and six motnhs imprisonment for conspiracy to handle stolen goods and 2 years and 6 months for conspiracy to money launder. Sentences to run concurrently.

Paramijit Singh Karla, 42-years-old, of Grange Court, Northolt:
3 years imprisonment for conspiracy to handle stolen goods and 3 years for conspiracy to money launder. Sentences to run concurrently.

Harmeet Bhatia, 24-years-old, of Casey Avenue, Northolt:
3 years imprisonment for conspiracy to handle stolen goods and 18 months for conspiracy to money launder. Sentences to run concurrently.

Nirmohan Singh, 38-years-old, of Sudbury Court Drive, Harrow:
2 years imprisonment for conspiracy to handle stolen goods

Pritbal Bhatia, 55-years-old, of Casey Avenue, Northolt :
3 years imprisonment for conspiracy to handle stolen goods

Nirmohan Bhatia, 20-years-old, of Casey Avenue, Northolt :
2 years imprisonment for conspiracy to handle stolen goods, 18 months for conspiracy to money launder. Sentences to run concurrently