Child gang was taught to steal by parents

Gang of three was taught to pose as Ayyappa devotees and seek alms. While at it, they would also make away with whatever valuables they can lay their hands on

Gang of three was taught to pose as Ayyappa devotees and seek alms. While at it, they would also make away with whatever valuables they can lay their hands on

When alert residents of HSR Layout caught a gang of child thieves, they couldn't have expected the story that was to follow.

The three juveniles, between 10 and 14 years, would go from house to house posing as Ayyappa devotees and seeking alms. They were caught by neighbours when a resident raised the alarm after finding his mobile phone missing.

They were then handed over to HSR Layout police who sent them to the Child Welfare Committee, where they revealed their story.

They told CWC member P N Basavraj, who brought them to the home for children, that they were from Anantpur in Andhra Pradesh, and were sent by their parents to other cities to beg and steal.

Neat income

The children innocently told Basavraj that their parents had told them to dress like Ayyappa devotees to seek alms and then hand over the money to them. They said their parents would come to the city twice a week to take away the 'collection'.

The children would make around Rs 250 to Rs 300 every day on an average by begging, and would sleep at bus stands and railway stations during the night. They would wait for their parents at the designated places to hand over the collection and other valuables they stole in the course of seeking alms, they told Basavraj.

Basavaraj said he had taken the parents' address and was trying to locate them.

"Before handing the children over, we have decided to take a signed declaration from the parents not to repeat such mistakes in future, or else ask them to leave the children with us so that they can be sent to school and made better citizens,"u00a0Basavraj said.

"The CWC can initiate action against the parents and they could even be imprisoned. But considering the children's plight, we are taking a soft stance," Basavraj added.