Indian-origin scientist creates Twitter account to track moped gangs
7 Aug 2017 5:44 PM GMT
An Indian-origin data scientist, who was a victim of a growing number of moped-riding thieves in London, has taken to social media to track the gangs operating on the streets of the British capital.
Dr Hira Virdee has launched a new Twitter account - @MopedSpotted - after his mobile phone was grabbed by a moped gang while walking in Lincoln s Inn Fields area of central London last month.
The 28-year-old then took a taxi to chase the four youths who were on three mopeds and also witnessed them snatch a phone from another victim nearby.
While he reported the thefts to Scotland Yard, days later he received an email from the Metropolitan Police saying they were taking no further action because there were no leads.
"I understand the police are overwhelmed but I doubt whether they followed up all the CCTV leads they could have. I decided if no one else was going to collect evidence then there was an opportunity for someone else to collect information on moped crimes and suspects," Virdee told the 'Evening Standard'.
His Twitter account asks people to report sightings of possible moped suspects so they can be tracked in real time.
It is aimed at then passing on the information collected to police. Dr Virdee, who has a PhD in physics and engineering and works for a data company, says he has already tracked one suspect group in Finsbury Park, north London.
"It means we can quickly identify hotspots of crime and build up a picture of where these criminals are operating. I get a lot of cab drivers reporting sightings of mopeds," he explained.
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