Gang of masked phone thieves caught red-handed during violent raid on O2 store

A six-strong gang of masked phone thieves have been snared after they attempted a violent raid on a busy town centre store screaming at customers and staff and pretending the shop was on fire The men were snared by police after they burst into the O2 shop in a quaint market town running through the store shouting and setting off the fire alarm - causing chaos amongst terrified staff and shoppers.

However due to intelligence police were monitoring the store and were prepared to pounce to catch the gang in the act. Their violent attack - and the police sting - were captured by CCTV and body-worn police cameras. The success comes as Virgin Media O2 announces its single biggest ever investment to improve the security measures across its shops to fight back against organised criminal gangs who are targeting stores at epidemic levels.

The measures, which include increasing the number of security guards, enhanced real-time security monitoring systems and installing new panic alarms across O2's retail estate, have already been rolled out in many stores and demonstrate the business' commitment to keeping its people and customers safe.

This security drive comes as the firm reported that the number of attempted robberies and thefts at its stores so far in 2025 has doubled compared to the whole of 2024, driven by the activities of organised criminal gangs targeting mobile phone stores for their expensive devices.

However, since the introduction of the new security measures, successful robberies have already declined, and there has been a growing number of arrests. More than 40 people have been arrested and charged since July 2024, with the business actively collaborating with police and other retailers to help bring thieves to justice.

This includes efforts in Chippenham where Virgin Media O2's investigations team - composed entirely of former police officers - has worked closely with Wiltshire Police to successfully prosecute the criminal gang who all pleaded guilty to conspiracy to steal at a court hearing in June, and have now been sentenced at Swindon Crown Court.

The collaborative approach is one being advocated by the Express' Stop The Shoplifters campaign demanding police physically attend all reports of retail theft to help cut the £2.2bn increasingly violent crime epidemic sweeping Britain.

Jason Hunte, 27, of Hillingdon, was jailed for two years and two months, and Nusret Arslan, 24, also of Hillingdon, was jailed for two years. Jesse Madika, 24, of Enfield, was sentenced to 14 months in prison, suspended for two years, as well as 150 hours of unpaid work, while Jaheim Thompson, 23, of no fixed abode, was sentenced to eight months suspended for 18 months.

Billy Gladdish, 28, of no fixed abode, was handed 14 months in prison, suspended for two years as well as 200 hours of unpaid work, and Tyrike Rasgado, 23, of Edgware, was sentenced to eight months suspended for 18 months and 150 hours of unpaid work.

The court heard from a sales assistant involved in the incident, who said they had found themselves "overwhelmed with shock, fear, and anxiety" since the incident and added they had noticed a significant change in how they interacted with customers, and felt "a sense of unease and tension whenever someone enters the store".

A customer who was also in the store at the time described the contrast between "quite happily sitting in the shop completing a new phone contract, to suddenly men bursting in and running through the shop, a fire alarm going off, and shop staff shouting to get out".

"I was filled with sudden panic and an overwhelming need to run and get out and get as far away as possible," they added.

Will Houldsworth, director of retail at Virgin Media O2, said: "We have seen an unacceptable increase in attempted store thefts over recent months, driven by the activities of organised criminal gangs targeting O2 stores.

"The safety of our people and our customers is always our number one priority, and we won't sit back and do nothing while criminals use intimidation and violence against them. We're investing more than ever to fight back and ensure our stores remain safe places for our people and customers.

"One theft is too many and we'll continue working closely with law enforcement and other retailers to tackle this problem and secure even more arrests and convictions."

Det Con Jared Yalden, of Wiltshire Police's Serious Organised Crime Unit said, "On the afternoon of March 16 men, wearing masks ran into the O2 store in an attempt to commit theft. Wiltshire detectives had been working in collaboration with the Metropolitan Police Service in relation to previous similar offending across the south and were ready to take action.

"These men gave no thought for the impact that their actions were having on their victims; as such was their determination in targeting businesses across different counties for their own personal greed.

"We hope that this result has demonstrated to our local community that we do take these offences seriously and they are investigated thoroughly and the fact that these offenders are now behind bars provides them with some reassurance."