London witnessed a massive rise in street crime last year (Representational image)

Indian businessmen met with British Shadow Foreign Secretary David Lammy in Delhi and complained about rising crime in London, citing the theft of Rolex watches, a UK publication reported today.

According to the Financial Times, Devin Narang, a renewable energy entrepreneur, listed crime in London as one of the biggest concerns of India's corporate bosses at the meeting.

Mr Narang, who is the founder of the Delhi-based Sundev renewables company, said at the meeting that people are being mugged in the heart of London -- Mayfair.

"All CEOs in India have had an experience of physical mugging," the Financial Times quoted Mr Narang as saying.

Speaking to the Financial Times, he said that Indians do carry expensive things, but the "police not responding is a matter of concern".

"You don't want to go to a city where you're likely to be mugged in the streets. It doesn't make you feel comfortable. You can walk anywhere in Delhi and you won't be mugged," he said.

Rising Crime In London 

London witnessed a massive rise in street crime last year. The 'theft from a person', a category that includes stealing watches, mobile phones, and handbags, reportedly increased by 27 per cent last year as compared to 2022.

About 29,000 watches have been reportedly stolen in London in the past five years. 

Rising crime has now become a political issue in Britain ahead of an expected national election this year.

Undercover Officers Target Luxury Watch Robbers In London

Last month, the police said that they conducted an undercover operation to target watch robbers and succeeded in reducing such robberies.

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The Metropolitan Police said on January 17 that the two operations ran from October to December 2022 and March to October 2023 within Soho - which along with the other hotspots of Mayfair and the south part of Kensington and Chelsea, accounted for 40 per cent of all watch robberies in London at the time.

The first operation from October to December 2022 saw a drop of 28 per cent in watch robberies across the three boroughs by the end of that three-month period, while the second operation from March to October 2023 reduced watch robberies by about 15 per cent across the three boroughs.