The group trains children, as young as three years old, to steal from bus passengers.

Next time you travel by bus and an unknown person suddenly thrusts a baby on to your lap, make sure you secure your bag first. In the past few weeks, police have arrested a group of pick-pockets who use a unique modus operandi to steal valuables from passengers. Nearly 60 sovereigns of jewellery and cash amounting to Rs. 10 lakh were recovered from them.

“The group comprises families from certain areas in the Tamil Nadu-Andhra Pradesh border,” said Sakthi, a police constable attached to Ashok Nagar police station. She and nearly 15 others are part of special teams formed in Chennai South zone to nab pick-pockets. “One team was already present in T. Nagar, but others were formed in Adyar, St. Thomas Mount and Tambaram in the last two months. We zeroed in on them, after a poor elderly woman was left shattered when 30 sovereigns of gold jewellery were stolen from her in a bus,” said Sheeba, another constable from Pallavaram.

The group targets commuters especially during festivals and wedding season. “They first enter the state and reside in districts like Tiruvannamalai, Salem, Krishnagiri and Villupuram. After this they spread across the city and stay in tents,” added an officer in the team .

Usually two women and one man enter the bus after purchasing Rs. 50 ticket, which enables them to travel in any bus throughout the day. “They have trained three-year old kids in pick-pocketing too. The women surround the vulnerable commuter. While one distracts his/her attention, the kid unzips the bag and the women remove the valuables from the handbag. It is then passed on to their male member who gets down from the bus immediately,” added Sakthi.

Police say that the women pickpockets wear two sets of clothes to hide the loot. “Men wear caps and carry a shoppers’ bag with news paper rolled inside. None of them revealed their real identity and address. It was hard tracking them down,” added the officer.

Once the valuables are stolen, they assemble at a spot and then flee the state. A senior officer said that they are on the lookout for more offenders. “Passengers should also be aware of such crimes and be watchful of their possessions while travelling on such routes,” she said.