Full Breakdown
Tooting Jewellery Shop Tunnel Plot Foiled
8/22/2026, 11:39:16 AM
The attempted burglary
In the early hours of July 17, Metropolitan Police officers responded to a burglary alarm at a jewellery shop on Mitcham Road, Tooting. The suspects had begun tunnelling from an adjacent massage parlour through a wall into the shop. Body-worn video captured the arrests of Laurentiu-Daniel Nitisoara, 38, in a nearby alley, and Ioan Asafeti, 39, hiding on a rooftop; a third suspect, Sergiu Plastin, 42, was located later that day at Stansted Airport as he attempted to board a flight to Ireland.
Investigation and wider links
The Met’s Flying Squad led the investigation, using mobile-phone data, CCTV footage of the men acquiring tools, and a car trace to identify Plastin. Detectives said the trio were part of an organised crime group linked to a series of jewellery-shop burglaries across London between May and July, with total losses exceeding £700,000. Police noted that the gang’s tunnelling technique allowed them to bypass standard security systems and that similar methods have been observed in other European cases.
Individuals charged
All three men—Nitisoara and Asafeti, who have no fixed address, and Plastin, a resident of Portadown, Craigavon—pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit burglary with intent to steal and cause criminal damage. Their guilty pleas were entered at Kingston Crown Court on the day of the arrests.
Impact on commercial burglary in London
Metropolitan Police officials reported a 12 percent decline in commercial burglary offences over the 12 months ending in July, attributing the drop partly to intensified patrols and the deployment of additional officers to community crime-fighting teams. The successful disruption of this plot is presented as evidence of the force’s broader strategy to curb organised burglary rings.
Upcoming sentencing
The three defendants are scheduled to be sentenced at Kingston Crown Court on October 23. Police indicated that the upcoming court date will serve as a further deterrent to criminal groups targeting London businesses.
