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Teens, 15 and 18, arrested after two-day mugging spree armed with hunting knife

<em>Two teenagers who went on a moped mugging spree have been arrested (Picture: PA)</em>
Two teenagers who went on a moped mugging spree have been arrested (Picture: PA)

Two teenagers who went on a two-day moped mugging spree armed with a hunting knife in London have been arrested.

The youths, aged 15 and 18, stole phones and a laptop in robberies at an estate agent and a cafe and muggings the following day, said the Metropolitan Police.

They were arrested after they were tracked down by Scotland Yard detectives from a unit specially set up to tackle criminals on mopeds.

Police said the pair first struck when they went into an estate agent near the Elephant and Castle on Thursday afternoon, threatening staff with the large knife and stealing their phones.

The pair escaped on a moped with a quarter of an hour entered a coffee shop near London’s Blackfriars in the City, again threatening customers before taking a laptop.

<em>The pair threatened people with a hunting knife (Picture: Metropolitan Police)</em>
The pair threatened people with a hunting knife (Picture: Metropolitan Police)

The next day the pair carried out four moped muggings in Southwark when they stole two phones.

They were traced and arrested in the Rotherhithe area. The knife, moped and clothes used in the robberies were seized.

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Scotland Yard said: “Operation Venice officers have arrested two teenagers following a number of moped enabled robberies in recent days.

“At around 4.50pm on Thursday, two males entered an estate agent in St Gabriel Walk. Staff members were threatened with a large knife and were robbed of their phones. The robbers made off on a moped.

“At 5.05pm that evening, in a coffee shop in New Bridge Street, the same males threatened a number of customers with a large knife. They stole a laptop computers and made off on a moped.

“Officers from the Operation Venice Investigation Team launched an urgent investigation.

“They were able to rapidly link these two incidents with a series of four thefts or attempted thefts at around 1pm on Friday, in the SE1 area of Southwark.

“Two phones were stolen during the four incidents; nobody was injured.

“At around 2pm – within an hour of the series of snatches – officers arrested two males in the Rotherhithe area. A knife was recovered along with the moped and clothing used in the robberies.”

The pair were taken into custody, police added.