In India, parents send their children to 'schools of theft': there they learn to steal at weddings.

In India, children are taught to steal jewelry at weddings

In India, there are paid theft schools where teenagers are taught to steal jewelry at weddings of the rich. This is reported by the Indian television company NDTV, writes the South China Morning Post.

Parents send children aged 12-13 to 'schools of theft', where they are trained by gang members. The program includes pickpocketing, bag snatching, escaping from the police, gambling, and alcohol sales. The training costs from 200,000 to 300,000 rupees ($2400 – 3600).

Students from poor families are taught how to blend into a wealthy environment and steal jewelry at elite weddings. After a year of training, teenagers can earn 5-6 times more than the cost of training, and their parents receive annual payments of 300,000 to 500,000 rupees from gang leaders.

Police report that more than 300 children from such schools have been involved in wedding thefts across India. In August, during a wedding in Jaipur, a thief stole jewelry worth 15 million rupees ($180,000) and 100,000 rupees in cash. In March, a graduate of a school of thieves stole a bag with jewelry at a wedding in Gurgaon.

Police inspector Ramkumar Bhagat said that since most of the criminals are minors, it is 'extremely difficult' for law enforcement to take action.

Although in India theft can lead to up to seven years in prison, the legal system is more lenient towards minors, focusing on their rehabilitation. Additionally, locals often cover up for young criminals.

By the way, in Rome, a criminal was arrested who decided to read a book about Greek mythology during a home robbery. The 38-year-old Italian broke into a house in the elite district of Prati through a balcony and then got distracted by the book, which was lying on a bedside table.

Earlier in Italy, a 19-year-old Ukrainian tourist was fined for allegedly carving his name on the wall of the Colosseum.

It should be noted that the development of middle-class prosperity and relatively budget airline flights are encouraging Indians to travel more and spend significant amounts of money on tourist trips.