Juvenile ‘shoplifters’ paraded with ‘main chor hoon’ placards in Darbhanga mall

The mall management, in trying to dispense quick justice, made the juveniles walk around the mall with the placard around their neck.

DARBHANGA Three minors caught shoplifting were paraded with placards, which read, “Main chor hoon (I am a thief)”, inside a prominent shopping mall at Mirzapur locality in Darbhanga late Tuesday evening.

A photo of suspected child shoplifters being paraded with placards around their neck at a posh mall in Darbhanga has gone viral on social media. (WhatsApp grab)

The incident was reminiscent of Bollywood blockbuster Deewaar of the 1970s, in which villagers had tattooed “Mera baap chor hai (my father is a thief)” on the forearm of lead protagonist Amitabh Bachchan, as a child.

Apparently taking cue from reel life, the mall management, in trying to dispense quick justice, made the juveniles walk around the mall with the placard around their neck.

Earlier, the mall security staff had caught the juveniles trying to sneak out with a wallet, which they had reportedly flicked from the showcase. The mall uses sensor-based security tags to prevent shoplifting. The children were let off with a warning, without informing the police.

The police, however, came into picture immediately after the photograph of the minors went viral on social media.

Assistant storekeeper of City Mall, SK Yadav, said he was not present at the mall when the incident took place. Other employees were tight lipped.

A security staff at the mall said that shoplifting bids were common. “The culprits are often asked to clean floors of washrooms. They are rebuked and face public humiliation when they do not abide,” said a guard requesting anonymity.

Confirming the incident, subdivisional police officer (sadar), Dilnawaz Ahmad, said, “We have taken CCTV footage from the mall and are investigating the case.”