Mumbai: Gang of women pickpockets from Madhya Pradesh's Ujjain on prowl in Malad market

Customers at Natraj Market, Malad West, on Monday. PIC/ANURAG AHIRE

A gang of young girls and women pickpockets from Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh, are on the prowl in the busy Natraj Market of Malad West, one of the favourite Diwali shopping destinations for Mumbaikars. The police said they caught two minor girls for shoplifting on Saturday, but they were let off with a warning.

The Malad police said they received seven to eight complaints of pickpocketing and shoplifting daily last Diwali, hence they increased security in Natraj Market this year.

Shoppers at the market on Monday. Pic/Anurag Ahire

Two girls caught in Natraj Market on Saturday were shoplifting at a garment store during the peak hours on Saturday, police said. The owner had caught the minors stealing expensive clothes and called the cops.

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"We had to let the shoplifters go, as the shop owner refused to file any complaint. But we got a valid tip off with their detention and we have alerted our people," an officer from Malad police station said.

A police banner alerts the shoppers of thefts at Natraj Market in Malad West, on Monday. Pic/Anurag Ahire

"While questioning the two girls, we learnt that a group of over a dozen women and girls are at Natraj market from Ujjain, MP, to make some quick money," said the cop.

Ravindra Adane, senior inspector, Malad police station, told mid-day, the two girls were let off with a warning.

A few days back, the Malad police received several complaints of mobile, wallet and gold chain theft incidents. Officers told mid-day that 25 cops in plainclothes were deployed at the market last week. Police have also put up posters and banners in Natraj Market, asking shoppers to be alert of pickpockets. Automated loudspeakers have also been installed to sound alert.

This year, the crowd at Natraj Market has doubled than the previous year, as Mumbaikars are celebrating the festivals without any curbs for the first time since the COVID-19 outbreak in March 2020.

"The Diwali festival is close and people have started thronging the markets. In the past one week, we received several complaints of mobile and wallet thefts. We nabbed around three-four local residents in separate incidents. We are now focusing on this group from Ujjain," Adane said.

Police said they have rounded up around 15 people, including women, from the market in the past one week. These are habitual offenders and many theft cases are filed against them, they added. The cops, who have photos of the habitual offenders, caught them roaming in the market and warned them from visiting the area again.

The police are also using the footage of CCTV cameras in the market to keep an eye on any suspects.

"This year the theft number is under control, as our officers are deployed inside the market in plainclothes. We are
receiving merely one complaint a day from the market," Adane said.

25
No. of plainclothes cops deployed in the market