Piccadilly Line Pickpocket Busted in the Act
A slick pickpocket was caught red-handed by British Transport Police (BTP) less than a week after touching down in the UK. Daniel Maldonado Paulson, 35, from Southwark, targeted commuters on the Piccadilly Line on the evening of February 7.
Thief Makes Desperate Escape Attempt – Fails Miserably
Officers spotted Maldonado Paulson acting suspiciously at South Kensington station and moved in. As they escorted him up the escalator, he bolted in a desperate bid to flee but was quickly tackled, pinned to the floor, and handcuffed.
High-Tech Gear and Stolen Phone Among Bust Items
- Maldonado Paulson, a Chilean national in the UK for just two weeks, was caught with a mobile phone stolen only 20 minutes earlier.
- Officers found an electronic card reader on him – a first in their pickpocketing cases.
- The stolen phone was swiftly returned to its owner just two hours after being nicked.
On February 13, Westminster Magistrates jailed Maldonado Paulson for six months after he pleaded guilty to Handling Stolen Goods and Resisting Arrest. Talk about no time to settle in!
