This is the moment a thief swipes a rucksack containing £600 worth of possessions at St Pancras station.

Hossein Rabah, 34, was arrested seconds after his crime spree on January 4 by plain clothes officers who caught him in the act.

He pleaded guilty to one count of theft at Highbury Corner Magistrates' Court, London just a day later and was jailed for 36 weeks.

CCTV footage has now emerged of the thief entering Kineya Mugimaru restaurant in the station before standing behind a man and woman having dinner.

All the while, he was being watched by cops in plain clothes patrolling the busy station in north London.

Dressed in a padded jacket and woolly hat, Rabah feigns interest in some of the food at the counter.

Seconds later, he bends down and brazenly swipes the unsuspecting victim's rucksack before leaving the restaurant. 

British Transport Police (BTP) officers then leapt out to arrest Rabah for the theft before handing the bag back to the victim. 

This is the moment a thief, pictured, left, swipes a rucksack containing £600 worth of possessions at St Pancras station

Hossein Rabah, pictured, was arrested seconds after his crime spree on January 4 by plain clothes officers who caught him in the act

BTP Sergeant James Ashby said: 'Rabah prowled St. Pancras station looking for any opportunity to steal, but he was completely unaware that our eagle-eyed officers were attuned to his plan.

'As shown in the clear CCTV footage, it's no coincidence that we were able to strike the moment Rabah committed his crime. 

'Thankfully he is now behind bars, and the victim was immediately reunited with his bag which contained around £600 worth of his possessions.

'Our officers are in key locations on the rail network every day in plain clothes, so even if you don't see us, we are there keeping you and your belongings safe.'

London was last year revealed as the 15th most dangerous city for crime in Europe as concerns continue to mount over a growing epidemic of violence, theft and robbery.

Thieves have stolen more than £5.5million worth of luxury watches, handbags and jewellery from Londoners in just 19 months, according to shocking new figures.

Data collected by the Daily Mail through a Freedom of Information request with the Met has highlighted the staggering rate at which thieves are targeting luxury accessories in the capital.

A total of 3,207 high-end items, worth upwards of £1,000 each, were snatched on the streets of London, laying bare the criminality that tourists and locals are forced to endure each day.