Tripunithura has always fascinated historians and foreign tourists for its rich royal legacy and monuen-ts. Unfortunately, this place is now becoming a haven for pickpockets with most of the private buses and public places being fertile ground for thieves.
The Hill Palace police have already held more than ten people in the last few weeks. All of them are pickpockets.
The Onam rush helped the culprits make the most from private buses and shops, said the police.
Despite doing their best to keep the pickpockets away, the cops admit there are many more out there on the streets.
According to the police, most of the pickpockets and fraudsters keep themselves engaged on the busy stretch from Tripunith-ura Statue Junction and East Fort Junction and also in Kochi’s private buses.
A man was held for stealing money from a shop near Statue Junction a few days ago, while two from Palluruthy were held on charges of pickpocketing, a few weeks ago.
Recently, the police had also busted a Tamil Nadu-based gang that had been picking pockets in Tripunithura-bound private buses.
Several women are also being deployed by pickpocket gangs on the roads and in buses, according to Hill Palace sub inspector P.R. Santhosh. “We have been able to nab the major pickpockets under Tripu-nithura limits.
However, these gangs are using women for their operations. It’s not always easy to catch a woman pickpocket as there are practical difficulties.
Also, in most of the incidents, we are alerted quite late, which gives the culprits ample time for fleeing”, the police officer said.
The Hill Palace police is set to begin a special drive to nab the pickpocket gangs in town. The public will have to wait till the entire gang goes behind bars before enjoying a safe and secure walk through Tripunithura.