MillenniumPost
Delhi

Within a week, gang turned kids into expert pick-pockets

New Delhi: Delhi Police on Thursday said it has arrested gang of six men, which trained minors within a week on how to expertly pick pockets with nothing but a blade and then sent them to various railway stations, Metro stations, ISBTs and other crowded places in the Capital.
The gang was busted after cops were tipped off by one of the juveniles who was trained by the culprits.
Police said the accused men were identified as Raj Kumar (44), Anil (27), Govind (23), Yogesh (19) and Ankit (25) and Nasir (28).
Cops said that the first major breakthrough in the case came on May 21, after a juvenile was apprehended with an expensive phone, whose possession he could not justify.
The juvenile revealed that he work for the gang, and five to six other juveniles were also involved in committing other crimes, including theft and snatching.
Soon, cops conducted raids in different locations and arrested the accused.
Investigators told Millennium Post that the gang chose children living in Delhi's slums whose parents were oblivious. Many of these children are also school dropouts.
"After training the kids, the accused would first give them live demonstration on how to use a blade for picking a pocket in a crowded place," said an investigator.
Explaining the modus operandi, police said that while a child would be picking someone's pocket, one of the accused kept a watch on them to ensure that the child does not flee with the money.
"The gang had several children under its wing, so that they could mislead police," said the investigator.
The gang targeted crowded places like Metro stations and railway stations, as commuters usually would not report the matter of case, due to scarcity of time.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (Shahdara) Nupur Prasad said a case under section 83.2 of the Juvenile Justice Act has been filed against the accused, which would ensure rigorous punishment.
The children would leave their homes in the morning to report to the accused, start their pick-pocketing work and return home in the evening. For their day's work, the children were paid a small amount by the accused.
"After pick-pocketing, the children would submit the stolen items to Raj Kumar," said the DCP.
The gang chose minors as they knew that even if the children were caught, they would not get harsh punishment and be released within a few months.
Police said they are also probing whether the gang is involved in human trafficking.
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