Police disguise as Batman and Robin to arrest scammers in London and the story goes viral

Superhero costume helped officers catch scammers deceiving tourists on Westminster Bridge

Two London police officers adopted a creative approach to catch repeat offenders: they dressed up as the iconic Batman and Robin characters.

Inspector Darren Watson and officer Abdi Osman decided to wear disguises after realizing that criminals were easily recognizing them during routine patrols. To overcome this disadvantage, they turned to superhero costumes and managed to catch two men in the act of scamming on Westminster Bridge, a location known for tricks like the “shell game,” used to deceive tourists.

On February 15, Eugen Stocia, 32, and Constica-Gherorghe Barbu, 53, were surprised by the disguised officers and were arrested.

“We knew the offenders already knew us from other operations, so we thought of something out of the ordinary,” said Inspector Watson, who oversees policing in Lambeth North West. “I remembered we had these costumes and decided to try something different. Although unorthodox, the strategy worked, and we were able to get these scammers off the streets.”

Barbu was convicted on February 17 for promoting gambling, receiving a fine of £925 at Croydon Magistrates’ Court. Stocia, however, failed to attend the trial on April 10 and was convicted in absentia by Westminster Magistrates’ Court. The Metropolitan Police issued a warrant for his arrest.

Source and images: Indy100/ Metropolitan Police/PA/ X@biobio. This content was created with the help of AI and reviewed by the editorial team.