Skilled Indonesian pickpockets in Jakarta, the capital city where traffic jam is common a problem

By David Khoirul

Saturday, December 27, 2014

For the first time I saw a pickpocket executing his action to a victim in a bus on my way home to Tanjung Priok, North Jakarta with Sury. I didn't realize he was a pickpocket, but Sury knew it from his acts and appearance. The man, who looks like an office worker, brought an ugly backpack that he put on his chest.

To me, Sury said that the bag-pack is used for storing things he has stolen. He put one hand inside the bag and the other in someones pocket. At glance, this guy looked nice and friendly, not showing any potential of being a criminal. But looks can be deceiving, can't it? My girlfriend Sury, who has been a witness of bus pickpocket, understands how these criminals work. Some have modus of vomiting, others selling a talking bird in a cage.

In the capital city of Jakarta, traffic jam is a common problem, and pickpockets use the situation to do their mission. They go inside a bus, a market and public transportation car.

Once I knew that the pickpocket was in the same bus as me, I kept my phone and wallet safe in my pants pocket. Without the wallet, I won't be able to have mpek-mpek for dinner, a traditional food in Indonesia.

Tag : diary