Key facts
- Three men pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit burglary.
- The group attempted to tunnel into a jewellery shop in South London.
- They are linked to burglaries worth over £700,000.
- The arrests occurred on July 17, with further links established to burglaries between May and July.
- Sentencing is scheduled for October 23.
Three men have pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit burglary after attempting to tunnel into a jewellery shop in South London. Metropolitan Police officers foiled the suspected heist on Mitcham Road, Tooting, on July 17, arresting Laurentiu-Daniel Nitisoara, 38, and Ioan Asafeti, 39, at the scene. A search of a nearby massage parlour, which the pair had broken into, uncovered tools and equipment intended for digging a tunnel into the adjacent jewellery store. A third man, Sergiu Plastin, 42, was arrested at Stansted Airport as he attempted to flee to Ireland, after being tracked using mobile phone data and a car linked to the group. The investigation, led by the Met's Flying Squad, linked the trio to a series of burglaries across London between May and July, with a total value exceeding £700,000. The men primarily targeted jewellers, using tunnelling techniques to bypass security systems overnight. CCTV footage confirmed the acquisition of tools used in the offences. The three men pleaded guilty at Kingston Crown Court and will be sentenced on October 23.