Most Shoplifters in noida are young, smartly dressed women: mall attendants

It seems like three girls took inspiration from the likes of Lindsay Lohan and Winona Ryder, Hollywood celebrities who are known for shoplifting. The ‘well dressed’ trio had been stealthily tucking in valuable items into their handbags on a regular basis in Noida. The trio was finally arrested on Friday for stealing a bag from a club in a city mall recently. During police interrogations, they confessed that they have been shoplifting on a regular basis.We went to several city malls trying to examine the shoplifting scene of the city, we found out that though it is a common phenomenon, most of the shoplifting cases go unreported as it is not considered a big crime.
A security supervisor of TGIP mall told us about the incident. He said, “The theft incident occurred inside the Ice Cube bar on Thursday where a group of three girls stole a person’s bag. The theft complaint was filed at Sector 39 police station. The police acted immediately and arrested the trio from the Botanical Garden metro station on Friday. The CCTV grabs of the bar and the mall helped the police in identifying the girls. From the CCTV footage, it was clear that the girls had been coming to the mall regularly for two-three days before the theft. They were also seen loitering near the washroom. Some toilet paper rolls were also missing from the washroom. We were not sure whether they have stolen any other items but during the police interrogation the girls confessed that they have shoplifted many times from different malls in Delhi-NCR and have never been caught. These girls used to wear expensive clothes so that no one could doubt them.”
Shoplifting incidents are aplenty but most go unreported:
The retail shop attendants of the city told us about the different type of customers they come across on a daily basis and some of them are serial offenders when it comes to shoplifting.
Narrating an incident, Kajal*, an attendant at a shop in TGIP, said, “There are women who love using expensive cosmetics, but don’t want to pay for it. And, when we catch them putting items in their bags, their immediate reaction is, ‘Main toh dekh rahi thi.’ Also, they apologise quickly. We don’t drag the matter too far as we don’t wish to create a scene in the shop and disturb other customers. We let them go after a warning.” Ankit*, an attendant at Spice Mall said, “There are expert shoplifters who remove the electronic tags or put the tag of one item on another. But with cameras monitoring, it is possible to track them, but still, some of them succeed.The offenders are mostly youngsters and smartly dressed women and so, we have to keep a close watch on them. But we usually don’t file any complaints.”
Raj Kumar Mishra, circle officer – third, said, “Some of the shoplifting incidents are reported, while most go unreported, usually to protect the reputation of the shop or the mall. Mostly, malls or retailers resolve these issues among themselves. We can take action only when a complaint is filed, par police ko koi bataye toh.”
Small items, a favourite of these non-professional shoplifters
Interestingly, smaller items are stolen more – be it a razor, a packet of spices or chocolates. Priya*, who works in the jewellery section of an outlet in TGIP, told us, “Some customers shop for thousands of rupees and still try to steal small items of just `100 or `200. I can’t understand why.” Mall attendants also said that these defaulters are not professional thieves but ones who do it out of an incorrigible habit. An attendant Vijay*, said, “Much of shoplifting happens during weekends. Some shoppers talk to the attendants while pretending to buy things. Meanwhile, they secretly put things in their baskets after paying the bill.” Talking about the hiding places, another attendant, Shailesh*, says, “The shoplifters usually try to hide these items inside their clothes so we have to be alert as frisking is considered offensive.”
Always on our toes to catch the shoplifters: Mall staff
Trial rooms at clothing retail chains are manned by guards who track each garment the customers take in to try out. The retail stores also bar consumers from carrying large bags or previously purchased goods inside. Rajesh*, an attendant at the Noida outlet of such a hypermarket chain says, “Plain-clothed guards roam in the store on busy weekends pretending to be shoppers while keeping a watchful eye on real shoppers.”A security guard at Spice Mall says, “The guards are deployed at the entrance of the mall and also in the premises of the mall.There is no chance somebody can take out something without paying for it. Hamari naukari chali jayegi agar aisa kuch hua toh.”
Our security is high: Security supervisors of Noida malls
A member from the mall management team of Wave says, “No shoplifting incidents have been reported in our mall till date. We have installed CCTV cameras in different corners of the mall and guards are also deployed outside shops. Besides, for the security of the shops, the retail shops and the mall work in coordination. But the retailer has to keep an eye on the customers. The retailers do their bit in preventing thefts by using a combination of anti-theft measures like CCTV cameras and RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) tags. Our security supervisor is always at the gates and we keep a check on who is entering or leaving the mall.”
(Names changed on request)