A woman in Westminster, London, used CCTV footage and distinctive tattoos to identify and track down a prolific parcel thief who stole thousands of pounds' worth of packages, including luxury items like Chanel earmuffs and Harrods perfume. The thief, Ali Sadeghi, pleaded guilty to burglary charges and is now facing prison. The victim, Camila Martins, discovered her stolen items being sold online and is now in a dispute with eBay and DPD over reimbursement.
A prolific parcel thief who stole thousands of pounds' worth of packages is facing prison after a woman tracked him down using his distinctive tattoos.
Camila Martins, a 44-year-old resident of Westminster in London, became suspicious when she received a call from a DHL delivery driver on March 12, asking about a package she had left for collection. Her confusion grew when she discovered another parcel, delivered by DPD, was missing despite an email confirming its delivery at 12:42 pm.
Turning to her CCTV footage, she watched as the thief, later identified as 31-year-old Ali Sadeghi, slipped behind a DPD van to access her gated Mews. The footage showed Sadeghi lurking as the van delivered packages to neighbors before turning into Ms. Martins' street. He chatted with the driver, lit a cigarette, and appeared to walk away as the van drove off.
Minutes later, Sadeghi returned, dressed in a blue camo North Face gilet, checked if anyone was home, and snatched the parcels, including Chanel earmuffs worth around £1,000, before quickly leaving. Sadeghi pleaded guilty last month to two counts of burglary—one from September 2025 and another related to Ms. Martins' case—at Westminster Magistrates' Court. Ms. Martins was shocked by what she saw on the CCTV footage.
Among the stolen items were Chanel earmuffs, which she had paid £900 for, and a Harrods perfume costing £295. Her investigation led her to online resale sites, where she found the exact pair of stolen Chanel Shearling Lambskin Black & White earmuffs listed on an eBay account. She identified them using the unique serial number, though the price had been hiked to £2,556.70.
Further digging revealed her stolen Alexandre J Imperial Peacock Eau de Parfum on the same account, which has since been deactivated. As she sifted through hundreds of listings, she noticed photos of a camera lens held by hands with distinctive bird tattoos. This detail matched the tattoos on the thief's hands in the CCTV footage, confirming her suspicions.
Ms. Martins explained that she went online to find a replacement pair of Chanel earmuffs for her client and stumbled upon the exact stolen pair. The limited-edition items had their own identifying QR codes, making them easy to trace. She also spotted her stolen perfume listed on the same account, further solidifying her belief that Sadeghi was the culprit. Determined to recover her items, Ms. Martins messaged the suspected thief and arranged to meet him, offering £1,000 in cash.
However, during their conversations, he suddenly stopped responding. She then contacted eBay and, believing she would receive a refund, repurchased the item using a friend's account for £2,657—around £1,000 more than she originally paid. She is now in a dispute with both eBay and DPD over reimbursement. Ms. Martins expressed her frustration, stating that she was more upset with eBay and DPD for refusing to help than with the thief himself.
She pointed out that the delivery was marked as successful, even though the DPD driver had opened the gate, allowing the thief access. She believes the thief must have been watching the deliveries to know when to strike. The scale of Sadeghi's operation became clearer when Ms. Martins was asked to purchase the item on a Vinted account due to eBay's large service charge.
Pictures of items on the account featured the same tattooed hands, and the account had around 500 items listed with about 300 sales, suggesting that Sadeghi had stolen roughly 800 parcels
Parcel Theft Camila Martins Ali Sadeghi Westminster Ebay
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