Yahoo News Thieves spark 120mph police chase after fleeing jewellery store with £60k ring
Shabir Patil, 39, and Khaqan Raja, 36, strolled into the shop in Eastbourne, East Sussex and pretended to look at jewels on the counter, before snatching a ring worth around £60,000.
Watch: Thieves caught on camera fleeing store with £60k ring
This is the moment two thieves sprinted from a jewellery story carrying an 18-carat gold and diamond ring before leading police on a 120mph car chase.
Shabir Patil, 39, and Khaqan Raja, 36, strolled into the shop and pretended to look at jewels on the counter, before snatching a ring worth around £60,000.
The pair then jumped into a Jaguar getaway car waiting in the carpark outside – hitting 120mph as they tried to evade police pursuing them.
The men had travelled some 300 miles from Lancashire to carry out the theft in Eastbourne, East Sussex.
CCTV footage shared with police showed the thieves entering the store, where they spent less than 10 minutes asking to look at three high-value items.
In the clip, Raja pretends to take a phone call and leave, before Patel snatches the valuable ring – which valued at between £50,000-100,000 – and heads for the door.
While trying to catch the thieves, police were tipped off by a member of the public who spotted two vehicles travelling together switching registration plates.
The Jaguar was spotted racing along the A23 towards Crawley, West Sussex, at speeds of up to 120mph.
Armed officers tracked the two vehicles down in Lancashire and body cam footage showed officers bringing it to a stop on the M23 north of Blackburn and they were arrested.
A VW Bora was also stopped on the M25 heading north towards London.
At Lewes Crown Court on 26 April Raja, of Blackburn, Lancashire, was jailed for two years and four months after admitting to driving while disqualified and theft of a gold platinum and diamond ring valued between £50,000 and £100,000.
His accomplice Patel, also of Blackburn, admitted to the same theft offence and was sentenced to a year in prison.
Footage of the escape bid by the two thieves was release by police on Tuesday.
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Detective Constable Ciara Richardson, investigating officer for Sussex Police, said: “Khaqan and Patel thought they could get away with stealing a high value ring from Sussex.
“But thanks to information reported by the public and the fast response by officers, we were able to stop them.
“With the weight of evidence they had no choice but to plead guilty.”
Superintendent Rachel Glenton, of Sussex and Surrey Police’s head of roads policing, added: “At one stage a vehicle was seen reaching speeds in excess of 120mph, which put the safety of other road users at high risk."
