The Hindu : Pick-pocketing gang held

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Mar 12, 2003

Southern States

Southern States - Kerala-Thiruvananthapuram

Pick-pocketing gang held

By Our Staff Reporter

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM March 11. Police have arrested four persons suspected to be involved in several recent cases of pick-pocketing reported from the Central Railway station and KSRTC bus stand area.

The accused were identified as "Chemboor'' Chandran (23) of Vellarada, Unnikrishnan Nair (34) of Amachal, Anil Kumar (26) of Kattampalli and Krishnankutty (42) of Punnavoor.

The SI (Thampanoor), Sasindran Nair, said they were part of a 20-member inter-State gang of pickpockets who used mobile telephones and hired vehicles to carry out their operations.

He said the gang members moved from one "lucrative location'' to another in vans and co-ordinated with each other using stolen mobile telephones. Mr. Nair said the gang members chose busy Saturday evenings to carry out their operations at Thampanoor when the passenger density is high compared to other days.

The accused would jostle along with other passengers during the rush to board buses. "They operate in pairs. One would subtly detain the passenger caught in the rush while the other would pick his pocket deftly. Once the operation is through, they would jump out when the bus starts to move out of the stand'', Mr. Nair said.

Police had been staking out the area for sometime and tailing buses moving out of the stand to net the gang. Few days earlier, three-members of the gang were caught. The rest were arrested from near the Rail Overbridge at Thycaud. The accused were produced before the court and remanded to judicial custody for 14 days.

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