Shanghai rail police catch 120 pickpockets in January

Shanghai rail traffic police caught 120 pickpockets in January, including a thief who used a razor blade to cut the victims’ pocket.

The suspect in this incident, which captured widespread attention after the victim posted a picture of his cut jacket on his micro blog, was caught on Jan 9 at Shanghai Stadium Station.

Police said pickpockets take advantage of the fact that passengers on the metro system wear heavy coats in winter, and so don’t notice their jackets being cut. Passengers with lots of luggage or those wearing headphones should pay special attention to the pickpocket threat, police said.

Wang Liping, a 29-year-old Shanghainese woman known online as Moli for her stories of combating pickpockets since 2005, said the Spring Festival period is a high-risk season on the metro system.

“Generally speaking, pickpockets have shifty eyes and they usually edge their way into the crowd. Rather than encourage eye contact, they only stare at your property such as your wallet and phone. Anyone from a couple, to an old lady to a youngster could be their target,” said Wang.