By A Staff Reporter
Kathmandu, Oct 1 : Police arrested more than 100 pickpockets from different parts of Kathmandu in the last one week.
Superintendent of Police (SP) Ramesh Kumar Basnet of the Kathmandu Metropolitan Police Range said that a police team deployed from Kathmandu and various circles under the Range arrested them.
The drive was initiated ahead of the approaching festival season, said police. Taking advantage of festival environment, pickpockets stay in major financial junctions in various forms watching every individual’s move while they do shopping, he said.

“We too have deployed our special team in plain clothes to control the movements of pickpockets based on their available photos in the banking area, shopping and public places where ordinary citizens gather to buy festival goods,” he said.
According to the police, there are more than 300 pickpockets, including some female ones, active in Kathmandu.

Some of the arrested pickpockets have given statement to the police that their main time for pickpocketing is from 9 am to 5 pm. This is office time when the pressure of people in public transport is high. That is why they become more active at this time, SP Basnet said.
Many pickpockets get arrested and released after a few days paying some fines in absence of specific law on pickpocket, he said.