Undercover police officers caught a pickpocket following a series of thefts from pensioners in charity shops.

A covert operation was launched inside the British Heart Foundation shop, in Bury Street, Abingdon, after several elderly shoppers had their purses stolen.

Plainclothes officers pounced when an 80-year-old woman’s purse was snatched in the shop at about 10.45am on Monday.

They followed the thief, who dumped the purse in the ladies’ toilets at nearby Costa Coffee.

Eli Nanova, 27, was arrested and charged with theft and appeared at Oxford Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday. She was jailed for 16 weeks.

At least nine elderly shoppers have had their purses stolen in Abingdon since the start of November.

Officers are no longer looking for anyone else in connection with the thefts.

PC Shane Hedges, who led the covert operation, pretended to be a shopper.

He said: “I saw a female who matched the description of the thief we wanted and saw she was acting suspiciously.

“I witnessed her bumping into elderly ladies and hanging clothes over her arms to cover the fact she was dipping into their handbags.

“I saw her hand go into a handbag but could not see if she removed anything.

“I followed her to the coffee shop and found she dumped the empty purse in the toilet.”

Officers said thieves were targeting pensioners in charity shops and at Abingdon Market every Monday after seven thefts in November. They issued warnings to shoppers and distributed hundreds of bells which women can attach to their purses to make it harder for sneak thieves to steal them.

High visibility patrols were also carried out every Monday and the spate of thefts stopped.

But on Monday, February 15, a purse containing £125 cash was taken from a 87-year-old lady and £60 was stolen from a 73-year-old woman.

Both women were shopping in another charity shop in the town.

Sgt Kev Hickman said undercover operations of this kind were unusual.

He added: “High-visibility patrols stopped the thefts for a while but did not catch the offender, so Pc Shane Hedges did his undercover plainclothes operation and it worked first time.”

PC Hedges added: “The conviction was enormously satisfying because her victim was elderly and vulnerable.

“This kind of crime has a massive impact on the victims, who should be able to shop in Abingdon town centre without being afraid.”

A spokesman for the British Heart Foundation said security measures had been tightened and the shop had installed CCTV security cameras.

He added: “We have been working with local police on cracking down on pickpockets, and are pleased it appears to be working.”

Magistrates also ordered Nanova, of Green Lanes, London, to pay back £47 to her victim.