Batman and Robin came to the rescue recently for some unfortunate tourist gamblers in the United Kingdom.
Inspector Darren Watson played the role of the caped crusader while another officer played the role of his trusty sidekick during the undercover mission.
According to a report from The Guardian, the superheroes went on to arrest two men alleged to have been running illegal “three cups challenge” and shell game scams meant to separate tourists from their money.
The officers regularly patrol the area, and the suspects had become familiar with them. Thus, the duo sought out a disguise to make the arrests. The Batman and Robin costumes did the trick.
“We know that two repeat offenders have been operating on Westminster Bridge and have come to recognize me and my team from our patrols,” Watson said. “I knew that if we were going to catch them we would have to think outside the box, and then I remembered that I had Batman and Robin costumes to hand which could come in use.”
Despite the unorthodox tactic, Watson was told The Guardian he was just happy for the outcome.
“Although dressing up may not be the most conventional policing method, we were thrilled to see that in this case it worked perfectly and the team were able to get some great results, taking these people off the street and protecting tourists and Londoners from being fleeced,” he said.
The three cups challenge is a trick that involves turning over two cups at a time to try and solve a riddle. The game is similar to three-card monte, which is also often used to scam unsuspecting gamblers out of their cash.
Eugen Stocia, 32, and Constica-Gherorghe Barbu, 53, were arrested for illegally providing the facilities to gamble. Barbu was convicted and fined £925. Stocia was convicted in absentia, and a warrant was issued for his arrest.
Several notable gambling scams have made headlines over the past few years.
In August, Las Vegas police arrested a woman for allegedly being part of a scam that stole $750,000 from Sam’s Town Casino. In 2023, several men in the U.S. and Jamaica were indicted and arrested for allegedly running a lottery scam that preyed on the elderly and vulnerable. The scam brought in almost $3 million from victims.
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