Metro’s women pickpockets pay fine at one station, move on to the next for another kill

The presence of anti-theft squads on every Metro line, fines for causing nuisance and even throwing miscreants out of the station has not deterred women pickpockets.

The presence of anti-theft squads on every Metro line, fines for causing nuisance and even throwing miscreants out of the station has not deterred women pickpockets. They happily pay the fine, get out of the Metro station where they are caught, take an auto and move to the next station.

On May 22, $20,000 was stolen from a passenger by a group of thieves at the Karol Bagh station. The group was later caught by the CISF. On May 31, another passenger complained about a missing phone at Shadipur station. (Hindustan Times)

“For causing nuisance, we fine them for Rs 200 and for obstructing passenger movement there is a fine of Rs 500. But they are happy to pay and leave the system as they know we cannot stop them from entering again. They keep changing the entry points,” said a Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) official.

The job of anti-theft squads is to identify pickpockets and keep an eye on them. “As per the law, we cannot stop anyone from entering the premises. But we are aware of the groups that come only for pickpocketing. Now, our staff start to follow them as soon as they enter the premises and keep a watch to prevent crimes,” a CISF official said.

On May 22, $20,000 was stolen from a passenger by a group of thieves at the Karol Bagh station. The group was later caught by the CISF. On May 31, another passenger complained about a missing phone at Shadipur station.

On June 2, 21 women pickpockets were caught. Another 15 and 16 women were caught on June 3 and June 4, respectively. Stolen gold jewellery and cash were recovered from them.

In 2016, from January to December 15, 41 male and 438 female suspected pickpockets were caught by the CISF.

“Women pickpockets have been dominating the Delhi Metro premises. It has been found that they camouflage their intentions by deploying a clever modus operandi of accompanying a child or carrying a toddler. In most cases it was found that the women who were apprehended after the stealing were the least suspected,” a senior official said.

The rise in numbers of women pickpockets has been a challenge for security agencies for several years. The CISF deploys its women personnel in plain clothes to keep a check but a lack of complaints against the suspects has lead to a steady increase in such incidents over the years.