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Pickpockets target RTA bus commuters

DUBAI — Pickpocketing in Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) buses is reportedly on the rise. In the last two days, at least three cases of pickpocketing were reported by commuters.

Some commuters have brought the matter to the notice of RTA officials and have urged them to take action with the help of police.

A victim of pickpocketing, Mohammed Afsal, who works as a supplier in the Union Cooperative Supermarket, said, “I alighted from a bus at the World Trade Centre bus stop to catch another bus for Bur Dubai. When Bus No. 92 arrived, commuters rushed to get into the bus. While boarding the bus, I felt someone touching my back pocket. But there was no way I could catch him. In a flash, I lost my ATM Card and about Dh300,” he said.

Irfaan Ali, who works for a Jebel Ali-based company, also said he had witnessed a similar incident on the same day. “Just as I boarded Bus No. 91, I heard a man shouting that his purse was missing. There is usually a huge crowd at the Trade Centre bus stop all the time and pickpockets take advantage of the situation. They act whenever a bus arrives and people jostle with each other in their attempt to board it. We request the police to take some measures to curb this menace,” he pointed out.

Commuters say the RTA must be strict when it comes to rules. “Whenever a bus arrives, commuters struggle to get into it. There is no queue. RTA inspectors should be present at each of the busy bus stops to control the crowd and to regulate them in a queue. This will prevent pickpockets from carrying out their acts. In addition, the drivers should open the bus door fully. Most of the bus drivers only open a part of the door,” said Pankaj Roy, a daily commuter.

When contacted, RTA officials said since pickpocketing is a law and order problem, Dubai Police were looking into the issue.

Dubai Police agree that several cases of pickpocketing have been reported to them.

According to an officer from Dubai Police, “These incidents are on the rise. And pickpockets tend to choose the routes which are crowded, so that they can get away easily. We could place our undercover officials in the buses and at the stops. But then catching them is difficult. It is the people who have to be careful. They should remain alert all the time.”