JC98

Is this common? For bystanders to grab at you and your camera, etc. while you're in a rickshaw or public area? Scary.

http://news.indiamart.com/cgi-local/...F1941644%2Ecms

haroth

i suspect this is an occurance anywhere in the world in one form or another. especially for females. while it may detract from the overall enjoyment and carefreeness of visiting a tourist sight, one must be vigilant always.

rhkkmk

as said above, it happens almost everywhere....ever been to italy??

jules39

It does happen anywhere in the world. I have travelled a lot. Take the usual precautions and if anyone gets too close shout loud and hard. I was shocked at myself once in Egypt and years later in Brazil but you know it made the people confronting me back off when I showed some anger.
Safe travels
J

mrwunrfl

No, of course it doesn't happen everywhere, but it is common.

Interesting story, though, the way it turned out.

- Guy tries to snatch a bag from the rider of a auto-rickshaw.

- The driver catches and beats on the robber but the robber gets away.

- Other people see the commotion and beat on the driver!

- Police manage the traffic but don't attend to the attempted robbery or beatings.

- At the police station, no crime was recorded because the attempted robber didn't get anything.

jacketwatch

It can happen anywhere. It seems it was a crime of opportunity. Is it common? I don't think so. I've been to India 5 times w/o incident though last time I did sense a man walking towards me with "determination" as I was standing with wallet in hand paying cab fare. I sensed something foul, stared at him while gripping my wallet tightly and he veered off. However again that can happen anywhere. This was in Pushkar in the state of Raj. Pushkar is turning into a modern day den of thievies anyway IMHO.

KimJapan

Happened to me in Rome...I was seriously hitting children who had gathered around me and were reaching their hands into my pockets, under my shirt (searching for money pouch I'm sure), pulling on my bag. I was shook up, but managed to prevent them from getting my passport and money. This is when I decided carrying my passport around with me wasn't such a good idea and began leaving it in the hotel safe.

My friend had her bag snatched from between herself and the driver of a motorbike she was a passenger on in Bali...almost caused them to tip over and crash. Crash prevented but bag lost.

Certainly could happen anywhere, the same way too. Would police really investigate an "almost" bag snatching anywhere?

sharon1306

Happened to me in Rome as well. But I've travelled all over India without any incidents. I guess its just a matter of being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

mrwunrfl

Ok, it was uncommon enough that somebody reported it as news, and if I were a cop in India (or anywhere) I surely wouldn't spend any time chasing after a guy that had "almost" stolen a tourist's camera.

mrwunrfl

A crime like that happens in so many places that you have to be prepared for it anywhere. This was not a case of a camera set down and turned away from that got snatched. The woman had the camera slung over her shoulder and secure enough that the bad guy didn't get it.

When people say that crime against tourists happpens everywhere, I have to agree. But the stories are frequently about the same places: Barcelona, places in SE Asia, Rome. I think it is a fact that Rome has more tourists than any other city, and like urban areas in Brazil, a relatively high crime rate.

What happened in Agra, or what happens in Rome, is much less likely (can't say never) to occur in Kyoto or Singapore or Boston or Zurich.

It's just too easy to say that it happens everywhere. Traveling in Japan, I take the "usual precautions" (ok, sometimes less than the usual). When I go to Saigon in two months I understand that I will have to step up my caution.

At travel.state.gov on each consular information sheet they have a section on crime. The one for India has nine paragraphs starting with this sentence (emphasis added): &quot;Petty crime, especially theft of personal property, is <b>common</b>, particularly on trains or buses <b>throughout</b> the country.&quot;

For Singapore, the crime section has three sentences: &quot;Major crimes against tourists in Singapore are uncommon. Petty crimes such as pick pocketing and purse or briefcase snatching occur in tourist areas, hotels and at the airport. Travelers should exercise the same caution that they would in any large city.&quot;

For Japan, three or four paragraphs including: &quot;Incidents of pick pocketing of foreigners in crowded shopping areas, on trains and at airports have been a <b>sporadic concern</b>.&quot;