'Theft schools' that train children to become criminals in India are condemned

According to Indian media outlet NDTV, three villages, Kadia, Gulkhedi and Hulkhedi, in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh, are notorious for training child thieves. The criminal education program consists of a series of lessons that help produce "professional" criminals when they "graduate".

Pickpocketing is a core part of the curriculum at theft training schools. Photo: WeChat

Parents pay to send their children, aged 12 or 13, to these “thief schools”, where they join local gangs and are trained by “teachers” who are gang members and experienced criminals.

The curriculum includes pickpocketing, snatching bags in crowded places, evading police and enduring beatings. Children are also taught how to gamble and sell alcohol. Each place at the “thief school” costs between 200,000 and 300,000 rupees ($2,400 and $3,600).

Students often come from poor, uneducated families. They are trained to blend into wealthy families and attend the most lavish weddings of the upper class.

After a year of training, these teenagers can “graduate” by stealing jewelry at wealthy weddings. The “graduates” can reportedly earn five to six times the tuition fees, and their parents can also receive annual payments of 300,000 ($3,600) to 500,000 rupees from gang leaders.

Police say more than 300 children from such schools have been involved in wedding robberies across India. On August 8, a thief stole a bag containing jewelry worth 15 million rupees ($180,000) and 100,000 rupees in cash from a lavish wedding in the northwestern city of Jaipur.

In March, a 24-year-old robber who had graduated from a burglary school stole a bag of jewelry from a wedding in the northern Indian city of Gurgaon. Police Inspector Ramkumar Bhagat said that because most of the criminals were minors, it was “very challenging” for police to take action.

People convicted of theft in India can face up to seven years in prison and a fine. However, India's legal system is more lenient in dealing with juvenile crime, with a focus on rehabilitation and education.

Villagers also cover up for young criminals, making it more difficult for police to combat the growing network of professional thieves.

Such predatory schools have drawn widespread condemnation on social media. One commenter said: "These kids could use the tuition fees for a formal education. It's the poor social environment that is driving them astray."

"These parents use their children to commit crimes to make money. They are not qualified to be parents," another wrote.

Hoai Phuong (according to SCMP)

Source: https://www.congluan.vn/truong-hoc-trom-cap-dao-tao-tre-em-thanh-toi-pham-o-an-do-bi-len-an-post309867.html