Phone 'stolen in mosh pit' as police probe Hydro pickpocket spree

Police and the Hydro are investigating after multiple reports of phone thefts on Sunday

Police have launched an investigation into a spree of phone thefts during a heavy metal gig at the Ovo Hydro in Glasgow.

Social media reports suggest as many as 50 phones were taken during the Bad Omens gig on Sunday night.

The SEC said it had "robust security" in place for all events and it was investigating reports of missing phones at the gig.

Connar, 32, told the BBC he had travelled from Dundee for the show and that he noticed his phone was missing minutes after entering the mosh pit.

He had spent most of the gig at the back and said he made sure his phone was in a safe place.

"Bad Omens was coming on so I put my phone in a zipped pocket on the inside of my jacket and walked down to the mosh pit," he said.

"I was in there for about three or four minutes, bouncing about at the edge of it. I went to take my phone out to take a video and realised my phone's not there.

"I started panicking and looking around the floor in case it had fallen out. I got the attention of people around me and tried phoning my phone and using Find My Phone but it's going straight to voicemail and the phone can't be found."

He reported the incident to the venue's security as well as lost and found, but his phone was not recovered.

Connar said that he had spoken to between 10 and 15 people who said that their phones also vanished during the gig.

He claimed the Hydro had not done enough to stop the thefts.

"They had multiple reports of phones being stolen," said Connar. "They did nothing. I walked out the venue, nobody searched us. Nobody stopped us."

He added: "Their security just didn't care enough.

"It feels like their protocols have definitely failed on this occasion."

He said he had heard rumours that a person had been taking phones and either wrapping them in tin foil or putting the phones in a bag lined with tin foil.

"It sounds ridiculous, but that blocks your phone," he said. "I thought it was a load of nonsense but I tried it with my mates when we got home and it works."

Another woman posted on social media about her phone being stolen at the gig.

She claimed it was the work of "professional pick pocketers" and that Hydro staff said it was the worst spate of thefts they had seen.

She added: "By the end of the night lost property had a huge queue with understandably a lot of upset and stranded people."

An SEC spokesperson said: "The SEC has a robust security operation in place for all events. We did receive a number of reports of missing phones at the Bad Omens event and are investigating this further."