The victim of the theft, from Bury, believes people were ‘watching her enter her passcode’ in a crowded bar
A woman has said she will never go out in Manchester city centre again after having her phone stolen out of her bag in a Northern Quarter bar.
The 26-year-old from Bury, who requested to remain anonymous, was on a night out with a friend on Good Friday (April 4). “We’re both new mums and hadn’t been out for ages,” she told the M.E.N. “It was our first night out in a while and we were bar-hopping in the Northern Quarter.”
It was the early hours of the morning at NoHo bar when she realised her phone, an iPhone 17 Pro, had gone. “The only time I got it out was when I was paying for a drink,” she said. “I went to do so and my bag was undone. I felt for my phone and it wasn’t there.”
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The woman contacted her boyfriend immediately on her friend’s phone, who accessed her iPad, reported the phone as lost and deactivated Apple Pay. “Whoever took it knew the password to get into the phone,” said the woman. “They seemed to have been following me, looking over my shoulder all night and looking at my password.
“I’ve been told it happens quite a lot like that, people looking at how to get into your bag and how it opens. And I’ve been told it is bad for theft in the Northern Quarter at the moment.”
Within half an hour, she had managed to deactivate her phone, Apple Pay and online banking. But within that time, the thieves had already attempted to transfer £3,000 from her bank account, which was luckily caught by fraud detection.
“They went into my Clear Score and tried to take out four loans,” she continued. “Luckily they didn’t complete, but I’ve had to pay for extra barriers so this doesn’t happen again in future.”
The woman said she watched on Find My iPhone as the mobile travelled from Manchester to London, then to Pakistan within 5 days of the theft. “It’s clearly got to be groups of people, it seemed very organised,” she claimed. “When it was in Manchester, I could see the address where it was.”
The woman said she reported the incident to police the following morning. “I could still see the location of the phone, but within two hours, I got a call saying the case was being closed – that there were no further enquiries,” she said.
“I’m not a police officer, I don’t know how it works, but I’m frustrated. It makes me feel like the thieves will keep trying it cause they know they are going to get away with it. I have no faith that if it happened to anyone else, it would get resolved.”
“It is so traumatic,” she continued. “You think it’s done with then the next day they started trying to take loans out. Even beside the financial stress, my whole life is on that phone, pictures of my family, my son. I’ve been riddled with anxiety – and I’ll be paying off a phone that’s not even in the country until 2028.”
The woman wants to raise awareness of how ‘easily’ she believes this can happen. “Throughout the night we saw the same people approaching us. I didn’t think anything of it at the time. They would ask to exchange Instagrams so you get your phone out and put your passcode in.
“I’d advise people to have a bag with a zip on it, not have your phone have the same password as your banking, and be aware of your surroundings,” she said. “But I would never go out in Manchester ever again.
“You are in a vulnerable position. I wasn’t very drunk and could get in touch with my boyfriend – I couldn’t have got home otherwise.
“I feel stupid saying I was lucky to have a friend with me, and that I had memorised my boyfriend’s number, but I was. No-one should ever feel lucky to be in that position.”
Greater Manchester Police confirmed that they had received a report of theft that had been ‘closed incorrectly’ and now was reopen. “Officers are investigating following reports of a theft in the Stevenson Square area of Manchester on 4 April,” the force said in a statement.
“Anyone with any information is asked to contact police via 101 or our Live Chat at gmp.police.uk, quoting reference number CRI/06A2/0009470/26. Alternatively, you can contact the independent charity Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.”#
In a statement, a spokesperson for Noho said: “We are very sorry to hear that this incident occurred and sympathise with anyone who has been a victim of theft.
“While the incident took place at our venue, it is important to stress that this is part of a wider issue affecting busy city centres across the UK, particularly in late-night environments, where organised groups are known to target individuals they perceive to be vulnerable.“As a business, we take customer safety extremely seriously. We have invested significantly in enhanced security measures within the venue and provide ongoing staff training to identify potential risks and support customers where needed. We also actively encourage guests to remain aware of their surroundings and keep personal belongings secure at all times.
“We always advise that any incidents of this nature are reported directly to the police so that a full investigation can take place. Where requested, we fully cooperate with law enforcement, including the provision of CCTV footage. To date, we have not received any request in relation to this specific incident.“We remain committed to providing a safe and welcoming environment for all of our guests.”
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