A couple’s plans for a romantic lunch were interrupted on Valentine’s Day after police swooped in to arrest them in connection with a burglary.
Officers were lying in wait for the pair, a man and a woman in their thirties, as they strolled to their reservation at a “top flight restaurant” in Bruton Street in Mayfair, central London, on Friday.
The Metropolitan Police said their burglary squad had been led to the exclusive location after finding CCTV footage of the male suspect booking a table on the same day he is suspected of breaking into a home just minutes away.
Detectives had been keen to question the man and woman about a couple of residential burglaries, including the theft of high-value clothes and handbags from an address in Bruton Lane on February 3.
Police said the male suspect was spotted on CCTV which showed him “calmly” visiting the restaurant in the late morning, minutes before allegedly breaking into a female victim’s home.
Officers visited the restaurant and “could not believe their luck” when they were told the man had booked a table for two on Valentine’s Day.
The information set the scene for a February 14 bust that ended with the couple’s celebration being spoiled and them being arrested outside the restaurant.
Police said the couple were “forced to swap sweet nothings for handcuffs” as they were led away by officers.
The man was arrested on suspicion of burglary and the woman on suspicion of handling stolen goods after a designer handbag was seized from her, police said.
The pair were taken to a central London police station at around 1.30pm on Friday, where they remain.
Source: Evening Standard UK
