

KOLKATA: They are dressed in trendy jeans, look like students or young techies, nodding to the music playing through earphones. But don't be fooled. What he may be listening to isn't a song but instructions from his fellow pickpocket on which Metro commuter to target.

The arrest of three pickpockets by the detective department from near Esplanade Metro station has revealed how sophisticated the age-old crime has become in Kolkata. "They appear to be polished. If you think every laptop-carrying person is either a student or an office-goer, you're mistaken. Some pickpockets even carry laptop bags to get the IT guy look," said a police officer.

"We have arrested ringleaders Vicky and Javed Ali. They have a rival gang led by Md Halim and Sk Sabit. Both gangs have told us that they deploy pickpockets in two shifts in rush hours," added the officer.

Detectives who interrogated the pickpockets say their first target is middle-aged men. "They look for the men who jostle for space beside the ladies' seats and flaunt high-end mobiles. They carry more cash and are easily distracted," said one of them. "On a good day, the gang manages to steal up to 20 high-end mobile phones."

The big pickings are between Rabindra Sadan and MG Road Metro stations - the busiest two in the network. The gang begins "profiling" each passenger from near ticket counters and work in teams. One picks the target, a second one follows the victim, and a third distracts him while the fourth does the picking. Another thing that catches Metro passengers unawares is that the pickpockets speak English.

"The typical pickpockets that we know of can't speak English. We recognize them through their activities and their appearance. But certain new entrants are trying to speak the language very confidently even though their grammar remains a problem," said a senior RPF officer.

These two gangs had been preying on Metro commuters for two years before they were caught by technical surveillance. Police sources say that most commuters don't file a complaint if their pockets have been picked, the gangs more confident. Even if a pickpocket is caught, he is freed with a warning because there isn't any complaint against him. "Pickpocketing is increasing because they know that commuters won't go through the trouble of filing a complaint. These gangs have become fearless. But with the help of the watch section and RPF, we've a few photos of suspects and monitor them through CCTV cameras," said an officer.

"Vicky had walked after 14 days in jail custody last Friday but chose to strike again on Saturday. This proves that they are in no mood to stop," said a Lalbazar source.

Though Kolkata Police is yet to come across a character like Monika Khantwal, an MBA who took to pickpocketing in Delhi Metro to meet her shopping trips to the malls of south Delhi, the RPF and the detective department of Kolkata Police has begun keeping a keen watch on gang members using CCTV footage.

