Women pickpockets outsmart men on Metro

Women have beaten their male counterparts as far as pickpocketing in the Delhi Metro is concerned. The Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), which is responsible for the security of the Metro network, said that 201 of the 219 pickpockets caught from January 1 to July 23 this year were females. The majority of the women pickpockets caught are in the age group of 18 to 40 years.

A senior CISF official said that 92 per cent of the women caught at Metro stations clearly shows that more females were part of the pickpocketing gangs as they mostly go unnoticed while indulging in criminal activities. “Most of these women are either accompanied by any child or are found carrying toddlers in their arms,” said the official.

Once the CISF responsible for the security of 134 stations of the Metro network catches any pickpocket, he or she are immediately handed over the local police.

In wake of the rising incidents of pickpocketing, the Delhi police has also initiated a series of measures to catch the culprits. “We are keeping a constant tab on people moving in suspicious manner in and around Metro stations. Even frequent announcements are made at platforms and trains to make people aware about pickpockets.”

CISF spokesperson Hemendra Singh said that many teams have been formed to keep a constant track on pickpockets. “We may even increase the number of these teams to ensure less pickpocketing incidents take place in our Metro trains. We are also in the process of launching a campaign to sensitise people about such elements.”

He official further said that CISF had a list of known pickpockets provided by Delhi police, which help us to identify the pick-pockets. “We match the photographs of suspicious people with those provided in the list while monitoring CCTV footage,” said Mr Singh