VIDEO: Saudi man recovers his phone from thief in London, pins him to the ground

A viral video clip documented the moment a Saudi citizen, Saud Bin Hariul Al Subaie, confronted a member of a gang who attempted to steal his phone on a street in the British capital, London.

The video showed the Saudi citizen knocking the thief to the ground and displaying a wresting grip, which made the culprit immobile.

He then directed angry words at him for his attempted robbery and grabbed his neck tightly to prevent him from escaping.

The video also showed the presence of several people at the scene, some of whom attempted to intervene and free the thief from the Saudi citizen's grip, but the latter continued to control him. 

London's streets face an epidemic of "snatch theft," with phones, especially in the sights of perpetrators.

According to the data, an estimated 78,000 people had their phones or bags grabbed from them in the British capital last year, in what police think could be driven by increased demand for second-hand devices, both in the UK and overseas.

More than 200 snatch thefts are taking place across England and Wales daily, according to Crime Survey data estimates for the latest 12-month period.

To help authorities curb the wave of snatched phones, which has soared 150% over the last year, British people are being advised to have their handsets marked with unique QR codes and register them in a secure official database.

"Phone marking" is one of the key initiatives taken by the authorities in a bid to prevent crime, raise public awareness, and get back snatched phones.