This is the shocking moment a gang of masked thieves used an angle grinder to steal a scooter in broad daylight.

Touseeq Haider, 26, was visiting IKEA in Croydon with his family on Monday (July 21).

As he arrived around 5:45pm, Touseeq spotted four youths quickly working to break multiple locks on a white scooter parked outside the furniture store.

Within minutes, he says, two of the thieves began cutting through the scooter’s locks with an angle grinder while a third kept watch.

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Despite Touseeq shouting at nearby security to intervene, the gang carried on undeterred.

Touseeq, who lives in Sutton, South London, said: “They looked so professional.

“There were four boys. One was on the bike, two were stealing and the fourth one was walking around, keeping an eye out.”

According to Touseeq, the scooter had three different locks.

Despite this, the thieves managed to steal it in just a few minutes.

He said: “They cut through the back lock first, then the handle lock and finally the front lock.

“It all happened in three to five minutes.

“One of them even gave me the middle finger before speeding off.”

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Touseeq kept a safe distance while recording the thieves but bravely shouted at them and urged security to intervene.

He added: “My family was terrified.

“They had all their faces and hands covered.

“They knew exactly what they were doing.”

The Met Police has been contacted for comment.

Cumbria Police is supporting a national ‘Ninja Sword’ amnesty, ahead of a ban on owning such weapons coming into effect.

From August 1, it will be illegal to possess, sell, make or import the weapon. Those who currently possess a Ninja sword will not be permitted to keep it once the order comes into effect, unless a specific legal defence applies.

Ninja Swords are a sword which has length of at least 14 inches, but no more than 24 inches in length. The sword must have the following:

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• A primary straight cutting edge

• A secondary straight cutting edge

• A blunt spine

• And either a tanto style point or a reversed tanto style point

A spokesperson for Cumbria Police said: “Ahead of the ban coming into place, a surrender scheme is taking place from today until July 31 to allow people to hand them in.

“Please follow guidance on the Home Office website and have the relevant paperwork completed before handing in the swords before visiting a police station.”

READ MORE: Enquiries ‘ongoing’ after dogs removed from Cumbrian property | News and Star

‘Ninja Swords’ can be handed in at the following police stations throughout July in the following locations:

Cumberland:

Carlisle

Whitehaven

Workington

Westmorland and Furness:

Barrow

Kendal

Penrith – Hunter Lane

BERLIN (AP) — Three men were convicted Tuesday in the theft of hundreds of ancient gold coins from a German museum in 2022 and handed prison sentences ranging up to 11 years.

A court in the southern city of Ingolstadt convicted the defendants of gang robbery over the museum heist, German news agency dpa reported. A fourth defendant was acquitted of involvement in the museum heist but convicted for other thefts carried out by the group.

The suspects from northern Germany were arrested months after a Nov. 22, 2022 break-in at the Celtic and Roman Museum in the Bavarian town of Manching, in which 483 Celtic coins discovered during an 1999 archaeological dig were stolen. The coins dated to around 100 B.C.

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The coins and a lump of unworked gold were originally discovered during excavations of an ancient settlement in Manching, and authorities have said they are considered the biggest trove of Celtic gold found in the 20th century.

Most of the stolen treasure is still missing, but investigators found lumps of gold on one of the suspects when he was arrested that appear to have resulted from part of the treasure being melted down.

Investigators have said that cables were cut at a telecommunications hub, knocking out local networks, before the heist, and that the thieves got in and out of the museum in nine minutes during the night without triggering an alarm.

The four defendants were accused of a total of 20 break-ins or attempted robberies in Germany and neighboring Austria, starting in 2014. Other cases involved safes or cash machines being broken into.

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The defendants didn’t address the charges during the roughly six-month trial, but their lawyers called for their acquittal.

The court sentenced them to prison terms ranging from four years and nine months to 11 years.

Three men have been found guilty, and given jail terms of up to 11 years, for snatching hundreds of ancient gold coins during an daring night raid at a southern German museum in 2022.

The suspects from northern Germany were arrested months after the November heist at the Celtic and Roman Museum in the Bavarian town of Manching.

During the robbery, 483 Celtic coins were taken from the trouve, dating back to around 100 B.C.

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Before the break-in, the thieves cut cables of a telecommunications hub to disable local networks which allowed them to get in and out of the building in nine minutes without triggering an alarm.

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The horde of coins, was originally discovered during an 1999 archaeological dig along with a lump of unworked gold. Authorities have said they are considered the biggest trove of Celtic gold found in the 20th century.

Most of the stolen treasure is still missing, but the court in the city of Ingolstadt was told that lumps of gold were found on one of the suspects when he was arrested that appear to have resulted from part of the haul being melted down.

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A fourth defendant was acquitted of involvement in the museum heist but convicted for other thefts carried out by the group.

The four defendants were accused of a total of 20 break-ins or attempted robberies in Germany and neighbouring Austria, starting in 2014. Other cases involved safes or cash machines being broken into.

The defendants didn’t address the charges during the roughly six-month trial, but their lawyers called for their acquittal.

POLICE are urging residents to keep away from a major Basildon park this morning as they remain at the scene of an “incident”.

Essex Police have confirmed they were called to Northlands Park to concerns for the welfare of a man shortly before 9.35am today and their response is continuing.

Multiple cordons are in place around the scene to keep visitors away and residents are being asked to avoid the park if possible while their enquiries continue.

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Several ambulance vehicles are also at the scene.

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An Essex Police spokesman said: “We remain on the scene of an incident in Northlands Park, Basildon.

“Officers were called to concerns for the welfare of a man shortly before 9.35am today.

“Our response is continuing and a cordon is in place.

“We are asking people to avoid the park if at all possible while our enquiries are carried out.”