CCTV released by the police shows how a thief used sleight of hand and some cunning to distract a woman in a bar and then swipe her mobile phone.
The conman is captured approaching the woman as she is chatting to her partner in an un-named bar in Manchester city centre before drawing her attention to a sheet of paper with writing on it in his hands.
The victim is completely unaware the thief has used the sheet of paper to cover her mobile which is resting on the table top - he uses his fingers to grip the covered mobile phone before folding the paper and calmly walking away with the device.
