Women gangs involved in 90% pickpocketing incidents in Delhi Metro
The CISF has revealed that female gangs make for 90% of the pickpocketing incidents in the Delhi Metro. Of the 373 pickpockets caught so far in 2017, 329 are women. The eight stations most vulnerable to such hits are Chandni Chowk, HUDA City Centre, Kashmere Gate, Kirti Nagar, New Delhi, Rajiv Chowk, Shahdara and Tughlakabad.
The trends have remained similar throughout the years
The trend has remained similar over the years: in 2016, over 91% of the pickpockets caught were women. The previous year, 93% were women, while in 2014, the figure was about 94%. The year before that, 421 of the 466 pickpockets caught were women.
Women gangs use children to divert attention
The modus operandi of women gangs shows the advantages they have. They mostly board the metro in groups, so one can distract the victim while the others carry out the crime. It is also not difficult for someone working solo to strike a conversation with a commuter. Many times, they carry toddlers or children to remove suspicion.
CISF ups security at metro stations
"We cannot stop anyone from entering into metro premises. But our staff follows (suspicious people) as soon as they enter the metro premises and keep a watch," a CISF official said. For the purpose, anti-theft squads have been set up on every line. Sometime earlier, the CISF deployed women personnel in plain clothes, but that failed to keep women pickpockets at bay.
