Fagin’s twist turns kids into thieves

NEW DELHI: Straight out of Charles Dickens’ Oliver Twist, these two men from west Delhi made a living through an army of children who would steal high-end bicycles for them in return for candies.
Just like the fictional character Fagin in the classic tale, Ramesh (62) and Chander Prakash (52) would give little regard to the well-being of the kids from the nearby slums, whom they had trained to steal without getting noticed.In a span of just 60 days, the gang of minors had stolen at least 35 expensive bicycles across west Delhi.
DCP (west) Monika Bhardwaj said that both the accused are scrap dealers and a dozen stolen bicycles have been recovered from them.
The gang came on the cops’ radar after a spate of similar thefts was reported from various societies and public parks. The complainants told cops that the thieves only targeted their bicycles which cost above Rs 5,000.
Investigation in the cases revealed that the crimes were being committed by kids aged 12-15 years old. The local informers were asked to collect data about the minors.
After speaking to some of them, the cops got to know about their handlers and a team raided their hideout in outer Delhi’s Sultanpuri, where the duo was found with a dozen stolen cycles. They confessed to using the kids to steal items.
Interrogation revealed that the duo would lure teenagers from poor families to work for them. They would tell the minors that they would be given the food of their choice and new clothes after every successful job. The parents of these kids were found to be unaware of the thefts.
The two men would themselves take the minors around and show them how to break the locks of the bicycles and how to ride them without arousing suspicion.
Later, small groups would be sent to housing societies and parks where people would come on their cycles. The teenagers would then swiftly ride away with them. The thefts were reported from housing societies of Janakpuri, Tilak Nagar, Punjabi Bagh and Safdarjung Enclave.