Police hunt jewel raider

This is the man police believe is behind a string of burglaries in apartments across some of London's most affluent areas.

Detectives say the man picked a lock to get into a block of flats in Bayswater before making off with jewellery worth £120,000 and other items while the owners were out.

The well-dressed burglar, who is being compared to fictional gentleman thief "Raffles", may also be

responsible for other thefts from addresses in and around Lancaster Gate, Mayfair and Paddington.

The burglar was caught on CCTV cameras entering the complex in

Bayswater and leaving with a plastic bag, thought to contain jewellery belonging to banker Elena Badamiants.

The Russian oil consultant had just left her flat when the burglar struck, it is believed. She returned to find the jewellery stolen from her bedside cabinet. Almost all of the jewels taken were family heirlooms or commissioned pieces, including several sets of black pearls, five watches, gem stones, and rings.

Ms Badamiants, in her thirties, who has lived in the apartment for five years, said she didn't know whether she had been watched or was the victim of a random attack. "It looks as

though he walked straight upstairs. Obviously he is a very cold-hearted person as he was able to come in like this, especially just after I had left,'' she said. "I couldn't sleep for days, it's hard to feel safe. Who knows what some of these people could do?''

A day earlier, another woman in the same complex opposite Hyde Park had her handbag stolen while she was napping in another room. Surveillance footage from that day in February shows the same man leaving the apartment wearing a large coat, which he did not have on when entering the building.

During the man's latest raid, on Saturday evening, he was spotted again entering the apartments but it appears he was disturbed and left before taking anything.

Detectives investigating the thefts say they have been called to up to four burglaries a day in the area in recent weeks. There have been no signs of forced entry, which has led officers to believe the burglar picked the locks.

Officers say they cannot rule out the man in connection to thefts of household and electrical items from flats in nearby areas.

Detective Constable Chris Lake said: "Sadly, this burglar is very good and, if he had the mind to, he could wipe out this building and a lot of others. He's smartly dressed so he doesn't raise concern and he's in, he's out, he's gone.''

DC Lake said most of the targeted apartments were rented. There could be up to six tenants a year living there on short leases, meaning strangers could walk through without fear of being confronted by residents. Police have ruled out former tenants as suspects.