Daily earnings of bus pickpocket gang ... Rs. 175000!

Daily earnings of bus pickpocket gang ... Rs. 175000!

As a result of the incident of valuables disappearing from Dr. Lester James Peiris's home, a risky, unsafe situation has cropped up about common functions being conducted at homes of popular, wealthy persons. While a dialogue is thus taking place abut thieves and

pickpockets, information has come to light about yet another pickpocket gang from Southern province. This information was revealed when a female member of a gang involved in picking pockets of public was taken into custody by officers of Matara Children's and Women's unit exposed relevant particulars. She had been involved in this activity inside buses plying in Matara, Weligama and Dickwella areas where passengers used to frequent often.

This suspect it is understood though living in Embilipitiya; at present happens to be living in a tent in Weligama posing as a gypsy. Over 25 complaints against an organised gang around this woman aged 48 years have been received by police, it is reported. Three other females and another 'virindu' singer also are included in this gang. The latter in order to distract the attention of the passengers keeps singing this way and when a passenger alights from the bus, two women accomplices who who block the exit passage of the bus and one of them would drop something and would block the passenger getting out of the bus in the process and then steal the passenger's purse.

A posse of policemen had been in travelling in buses in pursuit of the suspect women a number of days and ultimately had apprehended the said gypsy woman in her tent at Weligama. It was revealed that the monies they had robed in this manner totals over Rs. 30 lakhs for a month. On certain occasions they had banked cash amounting to somewhere between Rs. 130,000 and 175,000, it was learned. Person inspecting the tent concerned had come across 8 bags of females and a mobile phone as well. It was found that the arrested suspect had deposited monies robbed, in a private bank in Matara. The suspects are expected to be produced before courts.