Five people have been arrested for allegedly stealing wallets and committing fraud in the greater Montreal area.

Police say the robberies happened in restaurants, food courts and malls.

In March, police shared security camera videos of pickpockets in restaurants taking wallets out of coats or purses that were hanging on the backs of chairs.

The thieves would then use the stolen credit cards to buy electronics.

The level of fraud committed exceeded $10,000 in some cases.

At that time, police say they were receiving 15 to 20 calls per month about it.

A spokesperson for Laval police, Évelyne Boudreau, told Radio-Canada that they could not comment on whether it was a network of thieves, although they did say they believe more are out there.

"We have information pertaining to these people knowing each other. However, it's harder to find a hierarchy, organization, someone profiting more than the others," she said.

Searches were carried out in five places in Laval, Montreal and Brossard in an operation called "Gazelle."

The arrests were a joint effort between Montreal and Laval police.

The five people are being held until their court date.