A crime that goes unnoticed

Rising incidents of shoplifting in departmental stores and malls have become a cause of concern. Increasing incidents of shoplifting in departmental stores and malls have become a major cause of concern for those into the retail business. In recent times, there had been several instances where shopkeepers came across customers flicking products for financial gain. In most cases the culprits belong to a well-to-do family and are highly educated. Recently, a teacher employed in a private school along with her daughter was caught red handed by the staff of a departmental store on Rangapillai Street. She was found to have stolen items worth around Rs. 4,000. “Our staff found that she had taken goods other than what was billed. She expressed regret and agreed to pay a penalty. As such cases were on the increase we have decided to charge them for the items stolen. But we will not give them back the products recovered,” owner of the store said. In yet another incident, employees of a shopping outlet on Mission Street caught a medical student for stealing cosmetic items. A personnel belonging to the India Reserve Battalion was chased and caught by the staff of a stop after he was noticed of stealing products. In a few cases, foreigners and weekend tourists were also caught for stealing items. “A few months ago we caught a foreigner. She was found stealing an edible item,” said a shop owner. “We also noticed that women were often caught for shoplifting. Mostly they indulged in stealing branded high-end cosmetic items,” said manager of a retail outlet. In certain cases, if the person caught raises a counter allegation of either sexual abuse or physical assault the matter was referred to the police, they said. A good number of shop owners have asked the staff to secretly monitor the customers, besides installing closed circuit television cameras. “Several incidents of shoplifting have been brought to our notice. Every day at least one incident of shoplifting occurs. This is one crime that does not get reported in police stations as in most cases the shop owners prefer not to lodge a complaint due to various reasons,” Senior Superintendent of Police (Law and Order) B. Srikanth told The Hindu. Mr Srikanth said cases of shoplifting cannot be taken on a par with professional or organised crime. “But so far no incidents were referred to police station and so we did not register case. Even if an incident was brought before the police station, the shop owners want only the culprit to be warned,” he said. “The Department had asked the shop owners to install closed circuit television cameras and display a board to inform the customers that they are being monitored. If the customers realise that they are under surveillance it will desist them from indulging in such acts,” the SSP said. Psychiatrist of Indira Gandhi Government General Hospital and Postgraduate Institute Balan said there was a general trend to identify such thefts on a par with those committed by Kleptomaniacs. A theft committed by a Kleptomaniac can be easily differentiated from those stealing for personal gain. A Kleptomaniac indulges in such acts because of “irresistible impulse” and “to ease their tension.” They often steal silly items and the product might not be of any use for the person, the doctor said.

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