A pair of gambling scammers has operated at Westminster Bridge in London, but their activities were halted by a pair of policemen dressed as the iconic crime-fighting duo.
Policemen Dressed as Batman and Robin Catch Gambling Scammers
Footage of the two officers dressed as Batman and his trusty sidekick Robin was released by the city’s Metropolitan Police. In the video, filmed in February, “Batman” is shown holding up a sealed evidence bag containing the scammers’ shells.
The whole bizarre situation was a part of a Scotland Yard operation to stop the then-prominent gambling scams that targeted tourists. Inspector Darren Watson and Constable Abdi Osman cleverly masked themselves as the Dark Knight and his sidekick to avoid drawing attention as police officers.
The reason the police had to go into the operation dressed as the iconic comic book crime-fighting duo was that the criminals might have recognized them otherwise. In a later press release, Inspector Watson explained that the two caught suspects were repeat offenders operating on Westminster Bridge and knew the officers. Watson further said that in order to catch the suspects, he had to think outside of the box.
He then remembered he could use the Batman and Robin costumes he had in hand and could use them as a disguise. Watson said that dressing up may not be the most conventional policing method, but the team was pleased to see that in this case it worked perfectly.
Who Were the Offenders?
Constica-Gherorghe Barbu, 53, of Herbert Road, Greenwich, and Eugen Stocia, 32, of no fixed address, were the two suspects caught by the disguised policemen on February 15. Barbu was convicted at Croydon magistrates’ court in February after being remanded by police and fined £925 (about $1220). Meanwhile, Stocia was convicted in absence at Westminster magistrates’ court on 10 April after failing to appear in person. Currently, there is a warrant out for his arrest.
The two criminals were using the tried and tested games known as the “three cups challenge” and “shell game” to trick tourists. These games (also known as three-card Monte, or Find the Lady) are well known since at least the 15th century and are still a popular attraction at tourist hotspots such as Westminster Bridge.
The scammers often shuffle cups or cards before luring victims into betting on the wrong one. Most often, a member of the gang would pose as a player who wins, which gives everyone else around the impression that the game is easy. However, a sleight of hand trick by the scammer who shuffles the cups/shells ensures the victims never actually win. Police say this type of scam is often practiced by Romanian criminal groups all around various tourist attractions in the UK.