Ten men who terrorised mobile phone shop staff across London, including at an EE store on Putney High Street, have been jailed for a total of more than 55 years after police caught four of them in the act.
The organised crime group carried out at least 13 robberies between September and November 2024, using threats of violence to force staff to open secure stock rooms before stealing devices worth £240,000.
The Putney High Street EE store was targeted on 3 November 2024 as part of the spree that hit locations from Holloway to Fulham Broadway.
Caught in the act
Dramatic CCTV footage released by the Met Police shows the moment officers stormed into a Kilburn phone shop on 19 November 2024 while gang members were still inside during an attempted robbery.
The Flying Squad had been tracking the group and observing them as they prepared for further offences. When the gang moved to strike at the Kilburn EE store, police moved in and arrested four members during the raid.
The successful undercover operation followed weeks of painstaking analysis of CCTV footage, DNA evidence, and mobile phone data that allowed officers to identify and track the gang.
James Adodo, 25, from Dartford, received the longest sentence of 10 years after admitting conspiracy to rob. Mushtakim Miah, 25, from Woolwich, was found guilty of attempted robbery and jailed for eight and a half years.
The other eight defendants received sentences ranging from two years suspended to seven and a half years’ imprisonment.
Detective Constable Stephen O’Connell, who led the investigation, said: “This case shows the Met’s continued determination to tackle organised phone theft and robbery. We know how much distress these crimes cause to staff and the impact on businesses.”
Targeting EE stores
The gang almost exclusively targeted EE stores, hitting branches in Putney, Clapham, Tooting, Fulham, Balham, Chiswick, Notting Hill, Crouch End, Eltham, and Holloway. They also robbed one Three store on Holloway Road.
Officers recovered stolen devices and evidence during searches at addresses linked to the suspects after the Kilburn arrests.
Alex Towers, Director of Policy and Public Affairs at BT Group, which owns EE, thanked police for securing convictions. “We take the safety and wellbeing of our employees and customers extremely seriously and have long collaborated with law enforcement on cases like this,” he said.
The gang stole high-value smartphones and devices by forcing staff to access secure storage areas. All ten men were sentenced at Kingston Crown Court on Friday, 7 November 2025, more than a year after the robbery spree.
Full list of targeted stores
- EE, Holloway Road, N7 – 3 September 2024
- EE, High Street, Eltham, SE9 – 16 September 2024
- EE, Balham High Road, SW12 – 29 September 2024
- EE, Chiswick High Road, W4 – 17 October 2024
- EE, The Broadway, Crouch End, N8 – 27 October 2024
- EE, Notting Hill Gate, W11 – 29 October 2024
- EE, Putney High Street, SW15 – 3 November 2024
- EE, St John’s Road, Clapham, SW11 – 8 November 2024
- EE, Mitcham Road, Tooting, SW17 – 9 November 2024
- Three, Holloway Road, N7 – 9 November 2024
- EE, St John’s Road, Clapham, SW11 – 10 November 2024
- EE, Fulham Broadway Retail Centre, SW6 – 11 November 2024
- EE, Kilburn High Road, NW6 – 19 November 2024 (arrests made during raid)
