In a bizarre turn of events, a thief in Birmingham used quirky dance moves to distract and rob unsuspecting victims—until CCTV footage and facial recognition technology caught up with him.
Identified as Anis Bardich, the pickpocket targeted people in Birmingham city centre between July and August last year. He approached tourists and locals with playful, strange dance routines that diverted their attention while he quietly stole their wallets, bank cards, and phones.
West Midlands Police said Bardich’s antics were part of a growing trend in pickpocketing tactics. After committing multiple thefts, he used the stolen bank cards to shop for himself, which ultimately helped police track him.
“Our dedicated pickpocketing officers from Operation Taurus trawled through CCTV after recognising a pattern in the series of thefts. Using facial recognition technology, the team were able to identify Bardich as the offender,” said West Midlands Police in an official statement.
The investigation, carried out under Operation Taurus, led to Bardich’s conviction for four counts of theft and four counts of fraud by false representation. He was sentenced on March 27 by the Birmingham Magistrates Court to 24 weeks in prison and ordered to pay £2,240 in compensation.
PC Amy O’Connor, part of the Operation Taurus team, highlighted the deceptive nature of such crimes: “As you can see from the video clip, pickpockets adopt various tricks and tactics to steal people’s property. I would encourage everyone to be on the lookout for these techniques so that they can keep their belongings safe.”
Police officials also stressed the emotional and financial damage caused by such crimes and reaffirmed their commitment to catching offenders swiftly and recovering stolen goods.
