'Rolex ripper' gangs stalk celebrity social media profiles before rare ... trends now
'Rolex ripper' gangs are stalking celebrities' social media profiles in search of rare and expensive watches before taking them by force.
The thugs, aware of the value of these timepieces, are robbing people on the street using knives and guns to pressgang victims into handing over their valuables.
The culprits then sell these on quickly with some being 'stolen to order' for people happy to buy big brands including Patek Philippe, Audemars Piguet and Richard Mille on the black market.
The wealthy have been targeted, as have celebrities including former boxer Amir Khan, who was robbed at gunpoint leaving a restaurant with his wife in Leyton, east London, in April last year, though there is no evidence this was done to order or by a gang who do it regularly.
One expert says the trend has become so bad that 'you can't go out to dinner' in parts of the capital and that people should be wary of flaunting their wealth on social media.
A gang dubbed the 'Rolex Rippers' went on a brutal 18-day crime spree in southwest London over Christmas 2021 and New Year 2022.
Roshan Clark, pictured here posing with stolen watches, was one of a gang that terrorised people in southwest London with machetes while stealing valuable timepieces
Former boxer Amir Khan, pictured here with his wife Faryal Makhdoom, was robbed of his diamond-encrusted watch in east London last year
Using machetes and Zombie knives, they terrorised victims in the capital into handing over their valuables.
The gang were caught by the Met's Flying Squad after a high speed chase forced them to leave behind crucial evidence in their car.
Two of the gang, who are still awaiting sentencing, were found to have photos brazenly posing with their ill-gotten gains.
Alex Bomberg, chairman of security company Intelligent Protection International, told the Times watches like the ones the 'Rolex rippers' were after 'have become portable assets'.
He told the publication: 'They can be stolen to order or easily shifted on through the black market — maybe for one tenth or a fifth of their value,'
'If they're stolen to order it raises a number of issues; there could be street credibility for criminals who take a watch off a famous person's arm and sell it to a
