Skilling robbers is a dickens of a plan

Though crime didn’t pay, the idea shows a high degree of criminal perspicacity.

By ET Bureau | Jun 02, 2020, 08.21 AM IST

Charles Dickens is said to have crafted the character of Fagin — in his novel Oliver Twist — based on a notorious London dealer in stolen goods.

On the other hand, the ‘Professor’ of the hit Spanish Netflix series Money Heist is entirely fictional. The young man arrested from Bawana in outer Delhi last weekend for running a ‘robbery training school’ in his own home may not have been inspired by either of them, but his modus operandi were uncannily similar.

Outsourcing the actual legwork to specially recruited and ‘trained’ youngsters while staying away from the scenes of crime himself but taking a 20-50% cut from their ‘earnings’ makes him a true successor to Fagin and his Victorian gang of artful dodgers and pickpockets.

Focusing only on certain neighbourhoods and targets, being particular about concealing identities of his band of trained perpetrators as well as their vehicles, and carefully planning getaway routes are all very reminiscent of the Professor.

The police must be commended for shutting down his pilfering phrontistery, but it must be admitted that divining an entrepreneurial opportunity in robbery-skilling after being released on bail in a snatching case shows an amazing degree of criminal perspicacity.

Indeed, given the novelty of the concept, he could be the subject of a future Netflix series himself.

From A Van Gogh Painting To Toilet Rolls, Robberies In The Time Of Covid-19

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While social distancing and fear of coronavirus has seen major events cancelled or postponed, crime seems to be thriving.

Many countries around the world are observing a lockdown to contain the spread of Covid-19. A few high profile robberies over the past few days suggests that crime is on the rise despite threat of the coronavirus. Here are some instances: