Penny wise Pound foolish What is theft by diversion of attention?
This is a technique adopted by some gangs of thieves. When a customer is waiting at a bank counter, some one drops some coins and the innocent customer’s attention is drawn to the scattered coins on the floor. When he is picking up the petty change, the criminals may take his bundle of currency on the bank counter. Another technique adopted by the gang is to squirt some substance on the dress of a passerby and draw his attention to the ‘stain’ on the shirt. A gang member may even pointout a convenient place nearby where the stain can be washed away. When the victim puts down his bag or suitcase and is engaged in cleaning up the stain, the bag or suitcase will vanish. Keeping up with the times, this gang has now taken to snatching laptops using the same technique.
