A “devious” thief has been jailed after stealing a gold suitcase containing £175,000 worth of items outside St Pancras Station.

The woman had just arrived in London on the Eurostar from Paris and was waiting for her pre-ordered taxi outside the station when she was approached by a man on Saturday, April 11.

Bilal Arbaoui, 32, from north west London, offered her a tissue, claiming her trousers were “dirty”, before grabbing her luggage containing items including designer bags, watches and jewellery, British Transport Police (BTP) said.

When the woman turned around, she saw the case was missing and Arbaoui running away with it, police said. She then flagged down an officer at the station and reported the high-value theft.

Arbaoui was jailed at Inner London Crown Court on Monday for one year and 10 months.

CCTV footage released by BTP shows the thief walking swiftly away from the entrance of King’s Cross carrying the suitcase, glancing behind his shoulder.

In another clip, he was spotted walking at pace as he crossed a busy road with the suitcase in tow.

Police said they used the footage to track down Arbaoui and arrest him. He initially denied that it was him in the CCTV images during a police interview but eventually pleaded guilty.

After sentencing, BTP Sergeant James Kingsberry said: “This was a devious and pre-planned distraction theft which caused the victim great distress.

“We work tirelessly to prevent theft on the rail network and are lucky to work in an environment with exceptional CCTV coverage which helped us apprehend Arbaoui and put him before the courts.

“Now behind bars, I hope Arbaoui realises that we have eyes everywhere and we’ll stop at nothing to bring thieves like him to justice.

"Anyone who experiences or witnesses a theft on the railway is urged to report it to our officers on the network or by texting 61016."

Arbaoui, of Neasden Lane, north-west London, pleaded guilty to theft and was also ordered to pay a £187 surcharge.