Indian businessmen tell of fears over Rolex muggings in London

I NDIAN businessmen f ear being mugged for their watches in London, it was revealed during trade talks.

David Lammy, the shadow foreign secretary is visiting the country to negotiate a bilateral trade deal, but discussion soon turned to the experiences of India’s top chief executives being robbed when visiting Mayfair.

Devin Narang, an energy entrepreneur and member of the committee of the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry, told Mr Lammy: “People are being mugged in the heart of London – in Mayfair.

“All CEOS in India have had an experience of mugging and the police not responding. Indians do carry expensive things. But the police not responding is a concern,” he added.

The prospect of being mugged in the UK capital ranked alongside immigration delays as one of the main concerns, the reported.

Mr Lammy said the issue of crime in London had been raised several times during his visit to New Delhi.

Mr Narang added: “London is a walking city. You don’t want to look over your shoulder all the time. You don’t want to go to a city where you’re likely to be mugged in the streets.”

Street crime in London is rising, with “thefts from a person”, including handbags, watches and mobile phones, up 27 per cent in 2023 from 57,468 to 72,756. Thefts in the borough of Westminster, which includes Mayfair, rose 40 per cent, from 18,310 in 2022 to 25,650, according to police data.

Police warned that criminal gangs are active from Thursday to Saturday, 11pm to 4am. Three hundred luxury watches worth £4 million were stolen in six months as part of “organised opportunist” attacks in central London.

The Mayor of London’s office said: “The Met have stepped up their response to robberies – which are rising nationally – and have specialist teams out proactively targeting the most prolific offenders and robbery hotspots.”