The police have detained a previously convicted man for pocket theft in the tunnel of Riga Central Station, the State Police informs.
On Saturday, September 12, a woman walking through the tunnel of Riga Central Station with two children in her hands and a backpack on her back suffered a crime. The pickpocket seamlessly opened the pocket of the woman’s backpack and pulled out a purse with money and documents. After a while, noticing that it had been stolen, the victim turned to the Riga Latgale station of the State Police and wrote a report on the crime.
The police officers of the Riga Latgale district handed over the information about the incident to the Pocket Theft Prevention Group of the Riga Regional Office of the State Police, which performed work duties in the field of combating pocket theft in the center of Riga that day. Law enforcement officers found out the route where the woman had gone and obtained video surveillance camera recordings showing the moment of the theft. According to the video recordings, the police identified the possible thief, as he had previously been in the sight of the police and had been punished for pickpocketing.
Later that day, the police of the Pocket Theft Group noticed the same man in Riga, Merkela Street. It should be noted that at that time he was observing the population, possibly with the aim of committing a crime again. In addition, the man tried to hide a bag under the bench. Police officers checked the contents of the bag and found that the wallet and documents stolen from the above-mentioned woman were in it. The man was arrested on suspicion of theft and taken to a police station. The stolen money was also found near him. The stolen money, wallet and documents have been returned to the injured woman.
In connection with the incident, criminal proceedings have been initiated under the Criminal Law on theft in a small amount. The law provides for imprisonment for up to one year or temporary imprisonment, or forced labor, or a fine for such a crime.
The State Police reminds that pocket thefts are most often committed in public places – public transport, their stops, pedestrian tunnels, station and elsewhere, therefore special care must be taken in these places. It is not recommended to store valuables in a backpack or outer pockets. Handbags and shoulder bags should be worn on the front and held by hand if possible.
If you suffer from pocket theft or become an eyewitness to it, you must call the police at 110 immediately after the incident!
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