93 per cent of pickpockets held in Metro are women: CISF

New Delhi: Women have beaten their male counterparts hollow as far as pickpocketing in the Delhi Metro is concerned.

Continuing with the trend witnessed over the past few years, women now constitute more than 93 per cent of the pickpockets, who have been apprehended by CISF in the Delhi Metros.

The Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), responsible for the security of the 140 metro stations, said that 1,222 of the 1,311 pickpockets caught between January 1 and December 15 this year were women. A majority of the women pickpockets, who were arrested, are in the age group of 18 to 40 years.

A senior CISF official said that 93 per cent of women caught at metro stations shows that more women were part of the network as they mostly go unnoticed, while committing the crime.

“Most of these women are either accompanied child/children or are found carrying toddlers in their arms,” said a CISF official. Once the CISF catches any pickpocket, he or she is immediately handed over to the local police.

In the wake of rising incidents of pickpocketing, the police has initiated a series of measures to catch the culprits. “We are keeping a constant tab on people moving in a suspicious manner in and around the metro stations. Announcements are made frequently on platforms as well as in metro trains to make people aware about the pickpockets.”

The CISF officer said many teams have been formed to keep a check on this crime. “We may increase the number of these teams to ensure that less number of such incidents take place. We are also in the process of launching a campaign to sensitise people about such elements.”

The officer also added that the CISF had a list of known pickpockets, which  was provided by the police. “The list help us to identify the pickpockets. We match the photographs of such people with those provided in the list, while monitoring the CCTV footage,” the CISF officer added.