Burka raiders foiled during Brixton pawnbroker robbery after public realised they walked like men

Foiled: the robbers leaving the pawnbrokers after the raid
Metropolitan Police
Justin Davenport28 August 2015
WEST END FINAL

Get our award-winning daily news email featuring exclusive stories, opinion and expert analysis

I would like to be emailed about offers, event and updates from Evening Standard. Read our privacy notice.

Two men who robbed a pawnbrokers with an imitation gun while dressed in burkas were foiled after passers-by noticed they did not walk like women.

The members of the public raised the alarm and unarmed officers tackled Michael Lindo, 34, and Aaron Dumetz, 24, as they fled the scene in Brixton.

The pair grabbed cash and jewellery worth more than £64,000 after holding two terrified women at gunpoint at the Harvey and Thompson pawnbrokers in Atlantic Road in May this year.

The two men - dressed in full length black burkas - marched into the store as the two staff members were opening up, one was vaccuuming the floor and the other placing jewellery in the window.

Disguised: the two men were caught out after members of the public saw they walked 'like men'
Metropolitan Police

Lindo produced a handgun and ordered one of the women into a security room, forcing her at gunpoint to open a safe containing jewellery and cash in various currencies.

However, members of the public had noticed the men and became suspicious because “they did not walk like women,” Inner London Crown Court heard.

They raised the alarm and unarmed officers were on the scene within moments, giving chase as the two men fled.

One of the raiders during the audacious robbery
Metropolitan Police

The robbers were caught after a short pursuit and the officers were praised today for “remarkable bravery” in confronting the pair without knowing the gun was fake. Lindo and Dumetz were jailed yesterday for more than 20 years after a judge described the robbery as “professional” and “carefully planned.”

The court heard Lindo had 19 previous convictions for robbery or attempted robbery, two of them with firearms.

Judge Nic Madge described Lindo as having an “appalling previous record” and said it would have been difficult to identity the pair because of their disguise if members of the public had not intervened.

Jailing Lindo for 11 years and Dumetz for nine years he said there was no doubt that the raid was a “professionally planned commercial robbery” which would have involved some reconnaissance and planning in acquiring the burkas and the imitation firearm.

Jailed: Aaron Anthony Duymetz, left, and Michael Lindo
Metropolitan Police

Lindo, 34, a football coach, and Dumetz, a trainee carpenter, both from Lambeth, pleaded guilty to robbery and possession of an imitation firearm with intent.

Detective Sergeant Gary Ferguson, of the Flying Squad, said: “The local Lambeth police officers bravely followed the two robbers from the scene and tackled them, despite not knowing at that time if the firearm used on the robbery was real or not.

“It was these officers and members of the public, who reported the two robbers actions to police, that has secured the conviction of these two men and the recovery of a substantial amount of stolen jewellery and cash.

“Lindo in particular is a career criminal and this timely intervention has averted a serious threat to public safety and commercial premises in particular.”

The case comes after a notorious gang of smash and grab robbers raided Selfridges in Oxford Street in 2013 while dressed in burkas.

Five members of the gang were jailed for more than 58 years last year for the £1.5 million heist.

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in