PHOTOS: Shanghai Metro Pickpockets Caught on CCTV
By Anastasia Sukhovii
Shanghai's Metro police recently arrested nine pickpockets operating at Shanghai Railway Station and People Square metro station. The suspects are believed to be from two separate pickpocket gangs.
The bust was carried out following a near month-long investigation, a move that simultaneously solved 10 cases involving stolen property worth more than RMB100,000.
Municipal Public Security Bureau Inspector Li Yufei indicated that victims are usually wearing earphones, causing them to be oblivious to the pickpockets. The perpetrators would follow their target for some time, before making their move for the victims' valuables and disappearing out of sight. The earphones also serve as 'guides' for the thieves to locate smartphones in pockets and bags.
These photos are stills from CCTV footage at the metro stations, catching the pickpockets in the act.
[Images via 163]