How to avoid Pickpockets?
India is a country which has every reason to attract tourists and fellow Indians to come out of home and visit the exotic markets which are popularly known as Bazaars. Being the major attraction, these types of places are crowded and hence provide a very easy income for Pickpocketers. People who are unfamiliar with these areas need to take extra precaution to keep their belongings safe.
These pickpocketers are quite hard to spot as they can blend easily with the crowd and appear to be someone you can’t accuse of like a rich businessman or a woman carrying an infant. The best thing to do is to prevent these acts, so in this article we’ll show you some tips about how to avoid Pickpockets in India.
Keep your wallet safe
First and most important, never keep your wallet in the most obvious place like the back pockets. Secret pockets in the inside part of jackets are the best places to keep your wallet, as these are very hard to reach.
Tips for backpacks and purses
If you are carrying a backpack or purse, to avoid pickpockets in India you should hold it tightly, especially if you are in a crowded street or bus. Hold it near to the body and cover the zippers with your hands. Never wear backpacks on your back, as it’s really easy for thieves to open the zipper or even slice the bag. Always carry your bags on the front.
Tips for tourists
Try to blend in with the crowd as much as possible. If you are tourist then you might face some problem in blending in. So, keep extra care of your belongings. This is because confused and lost tourists are the easiest target for pickpocketers.
If you get lost and there is no way to not look confused, keep an eye on your belongings.
Keep your belongings in separate places
If possible do not keep all your money and credit card in a single pocket. This is because even if you become a victim of pickpocketing, you would at least have some money or card in your other pocket.
Hands off your pockets
Do not keep on touching or fiddling the pocket which holds your belongings as it attracts the attention of pickpocketers.
Be aware of friendliness
Keep yourself guarded when strangers try to be over friendly with you and avoid any physical contact. Pickpocketers often try to get near a person by extending a friendly hand. Sometimes even children are trained to pickpocket. So, avoid children who try to touch you.
Don’t take it all
When you are going to visit a crowded place, only take with yourself those things which you really need. Also leave some money and credit cards in your hotel room so that you can have some back up even if you become a victim of pickpocketing.
Decoy wallet
You can have a decoy wallet which can hold some old receipts and a few expired credit cards to confuse the pickpocketers.
Unity is strength
Instead of travelling alone, travel in a group. If you are travelling alone you may be lost and some people can take advantage of your situation by pickpocketing. But such a thing can hardly happen in a group.
