Vanessa Armstrong mentioned the link between Roald Dahl's short story Wonderful World of Henry Sugar and the performer Kuda Bux.
Kuda Bux appeared in Jasper Maskelyne's post-war shows.
So, it is likely that Dahl was also aware of Jasper Maskelyne.
Indeed, Dahl steals the hitchhiker anecdote from White Magic (p.249-250) and converts it into another well-known short story which appeared in the same collection as Henry Sugar.
Some may remember the TV series Tales of the Unexpected from the 1970's which adapted Dahl's stories.
The TV episode that recycled the Maskelyne incident is called The Hitchhiker.
Australian actor, Rod Taylor, played the driver, and Cyril Cusack played the hitchhiker.
Magicians will probably laugh at Dahl's wildly optimistic assessment of the pickpocketer's prowess.