Footage has emerged of a heist at a restaurant in Nairobi involving a couple and a lady who appeared to be conducting a meeting.
The time stamp of the recording shows the daring snatch-and-grab took place on December 4, at 1455 hours.
A lady donning a khaki dress with her face partially hidden by a mask is the protagonist in what plays out like a scene from crime movie.
She pretends to be stretching, however, on closer scrutiny one can clearly see her right hand emptying the contents of a handbag placed on an adjacent bench.
The pickpocket appears to be getting instructions from her 'date' who alerts her whenever the unsuspecting victim shifts her field of view.
After a minute and a half, the lady can be seen passing what appears to be a smartphone to her accomplice before snatching a white package placed next to the victims handbag and leaving the eatery in a hurry.
Nairobi has often been described as a hotbed for pickpockets, with the Central Business District (CBD) notorious for the recent surge in reported cases.
Many people in the city have fallen victim to these nifty group of people and lost valuables without ever noticing their presence. In fact, they are so good in this that they do it on a full-time basis and in broad daylight.
Pickpockets thrive in the presence of distractors. In the city, one can never miss a number of people gathered together to listen to a preacher or any form of entertainer.
It is in such places that pickpockets always hang around to take advantage of any potential victims.
The most dangerous pickpockets in Nairobi have been christened 'the cool type'. Such pickpockets appear as well dressed people who seem to also be in a rush or waiting for a matatu just like any ordinary individual.
Their decent clothes make it impossible for them to be doubted. Others also sit next to a person on a bus or van and they always alight as soon as their mission is complete.
The most notorious route is 46, headed for Kawangware through Daystar University (Nairobi Campus).
In most cases, nearly half the passengers on this route will alight at Nairobi Hospital and at Daystar barely 300 metres away, helping the thugs move in for the kill in the brief scuffle to leave the bus. Other routes to be wary of are Githurai 44, Kasarani, Langata and Embakasi.
Watch the footage of the daring heist below:
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