30 held, 70 FIRs filed for theft at AOL fest

At least 70 cases of thefts and robberies were reported and around 30 person involved in the crime were arrested during the three-day World Cultural Festival in the national capital. Several foreign nationals were targeted during the festival amid tight security and made away with valuable articles like laptops, jewellery and cash, leading to at least 70 FIRs and the police apprehending about 30 persons involved in the crime. Some of them were nabbed by volunteers and public at the venue. Thieves were found to have come from Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Tamil Nadu and Kerala. Also many of the gang members were women. It has come to light that their arrival at the event was well-planned, a senior official said. The police registered around 70 FIRs under IPC Section 379 (theft) and a few under Section 392 (robbery) which is applied in cases of chain snatching, the official said. The gangs targeted not only visitors, including several from foreign nations, but also the makeshift stalls which were set up inside the premises. While about 20 cases were reported on the day of inauguration, the highest were reported on Sunday (day three), the official said.