Is India really full of thieves?????

Since discovering Indiamike some weeks ago I've been trying to get as much information and tips as possible for my forthcoming first trip to India, which is now only three weeks away... One thing that has amazed and shocked me and that does worry me is the apparent high level of thieving. After reading several comments I have visions of me clutching my luggage to my chest at all times until my arms hurt while dozens of hands come from left right and centre trying to steal my belongings. What is the truth:

Can I unpack my backpack in my accommodation or does everything have to be under lock and key with the luggage chained to the bedpost?

Can I carry my backpack without having to worry that I will find all the pockets slit open and emptied?

Can I close my eyes when travelling on trains without having my belongings stolen staight away?

I have travelled quite a bit in Europe, Africa and the Far East (Sri Lanka being the closest to India) just using common sense and alertness, and have only twice had anything stolen: a pair of toesocks (of all things) from a hotel in Bangkok and a bag from Brighton beach in England.

So, can I have a relaxing holiday or will I return a nervous wreck because I couldn't sleep for three weeks for fear of having everything stolen?

I spent over 2 years of my life living & travelling in India, from North to South and never have I had anything stolen! This includes times when I travelled 3rd class (on some occasions when 2nd was full) on the trains and left my luggage unattended to get food at the stations for up to 1 hr!!!

My important stuff, my passport, money & travellers cheques I keep in my money belt which is tuckled inside my trousers! Only a woman who gets REALLY close to me can get that! If you spend your time worrying about losing your valuables then perhaps you are too attached to them? Possessions can sometimes possess you! Maybe you should leave them at home... Even if I was to get all my clothes stolen I can always pick up more on the cheap in India. A good padlock is all you need for the rooms and I never heard of rooms being broke into (I never pay more than 150 R for a room unless in Goa/Bombay). I've seen paranoid people who get off at each stop on buses/shared jeeps to check their luggage is still on the roof!!! Frankly they'd enjoy the trip a million times more if they'd just relax & leave it all to fate, chances are it won't happen

The worst country I have been in for things going missing was in fact in Australia whilst staying in youth hostels. I have seen people get there entire backpacks stolen in Oz! India is much, much better for that.

Auli Welcome.
Just to bring you up to date and to ask a question, have you been to many forums such as product reviews especially mobile phones etc? You would note that in those forums there is a great deal of grumbling about trying to get things to work the way that we expect them to.

Here at IndiaMikes there are also grumblings but more so that we can be best prepared. There are hundreds of threads about the great things in and about India and very seldom are any of us deprived of our precious gear unless we have not been paying attention. The warnings are to pay attention, there are a billion people in India and by comparison few will steal your gear, many will try to rip you off and a few will succeed. There is more chance of being mugged or burgled in the USA for example than in India.

To be sure that you will have your gear when you want make sure that it is secure, yes chain it to something fixed when your are unsure about your security. Normally in a hotel things are okay, other guests, not the employees will be your concern. On a train make sure that you chain yourself to the seat that you chain your bag to, they steal seats as well
Do take special precautions, watch what the locals do, they chain their luggage and will often suggest that you do the same. Do not take food or drinks from anyone other than employees as drugging is not uncommon and you will be stripped of your worldlies before morning. When I sleep in a sleeping bag liner I put my wallet etc in it with me, all my valuables are down by my bum.

If you create the opportunity someone will take advantage of it no matter where you are but do not get paranoid about it just make it part of your routine like looking both ways before you cross the street. There are millions of eyes on you and a very small few will look to see if there is anything they can relieve you of, most just look for something to do.

May I suggest that you read about the monkeys as I reckon they have been watching the humans for years, a few will distract you and a couple of others will rob you blind, hopefully it is just bananas or your lunch. Don't draw to much attention to yourself and everything that is meant to happen will. It is a land where karma plays its hand in a very real way.

My experience is less, but I have visited India during most of the past seven years. I too, have never had anything stolen.

I am absent minded (to put it kindly) and often leave my bag, hat, sunglasses etc in shops: they have always either remained where I put them down or been kept safely for me. I've even done things that I would never advise anyone to do such as leaving shopping worth far more than the potential fare in the care of an auto driver...

Follow the precautions that local people themselves follow: chain your bags on the train, do not give people great temptation (my friends are often telling me, "please, be more discreet with that wad of cash you just got from the ATM"), do not wander side streets late at night...

In my limited experience there is a much higher standard of basic honesty and respect for the property of others on the the streets of Southern (I do not know the North) India than in London.

I'm tempted to say that if you are so fearful of India then perhaps you should not go there, but many of us sufferred from similar fears and misconceptions on our first trips. Hey! Maybe the guide book publishers have big shareholdings in the insurance companies

and NO, india is NOT FULL of thieves. Your statement is slipshod and a bit insulting to indians. Is america full of thieves?
I have had my shoes stolen while on an overnight train to hampi. A sign at a station actually warns people of shoe thieves(not what you would expect if india was 'full of thieves').
Some areas are very poor, like Bihar, so it might be more full of thieves than another state. But thats the unfortunate social situation there.

Like the other posters so far, we have never been robbed in India and that's after more than 3 years spent travelling around most states.

We've never chained our luggage underneath the seats in railway carriages as I imagine a backpack could be easily cut open and the contents removed in the middle of the night, if anyone was really determined to do it. Instead, we make sure our valuables (especially passport, TC's, Bank card and cash) are with us when we go to sleep.

Don't flash large amounts of money around and then stick your wallet in your back pocket - someone might be tempted. I usually only carry enough money in my wallet for the day's needs so that if someone is skillful enough to relieve me of it, it's no big loss.

I think most thefts from foreigners are not casual but more the work of organised criminal gangs on the main tourist routes of Delhi - Rajasthan and Delhi - Agra - Varanasi train lines.

You are much more likely to be scammed than robbed but most scams, like anywhere else, are based on the intended victim's desire to get an unbelievably good deal. The maxim to keep in mind is that if it's almost too good to be true then it generally is! Enjoy your visit.

The unmanageable thieves

I have never chained my luggage in any of the train journeys I had in my 2 years and like I say never had anything stolen! Met many, many people who have done the same and also never had anything stolen.

I think if you come accross as overly concerned over your luggage, eg. keeping on checking it every few mins, it lets others KNOW you have something valuable in it therefore it is FAR more likely to be stolen!!! Whereas if you act on a bus/train that there is nothing of any real value in it any thief will see your relaxed attitute and be less likey to steal it!

I can't help feel though that to be obsessed about your possessions (as some travellers are) in a country with such extreme poverty where many can't afford a change of clothes or a pair of shoes is somewhat sad

Out of interest, if you only have enough for the day on you where is the rest? Do you tend to leave it in your room or do you have any particular hiding place?

Along with my airticket, TC's, and bank card it's in my moneybelt, around my waist.

I am joining the other posts.
I am a woman travelling alone and all together I spent more then 2 years in India.
Nothing so far went wrong except a map stollen by ... a monkey!

Never been yet, but I've read a few posts here where people who have lost items have had them returned by helpful locals.

You've done a good bit of travelling before, what makes you think Inida would be worse than anywhere else?

India full of thieves? I met a guy at Barcelona train station who had been robbed THREE times that day - he got his socks and shoes stolen, his day-pack, and his wallet. I have yet to read any stories like that on Indiamike.

Just make sure the bag thief in Brighton is not on holiday in India
I had perfume, which I bought duty free for my wife on our way out to Crete, stolen from our luggage which was stored with fellow travellers' cases while we waited for transport to the airport to go home. I bet it wasn't a Cretan who nicked it!
Thieves go on holiday as well. Just take your usual precautions and be lucky

You can leave your luggage unpacked in your accomodation, I suppose, although I always kept my luggage mostly packed (I left out a change of clothes and my toiletries) and locked. In some places I also locked my luggage to the plumbing.

Your backpack isn't likely to get all slit up, although stealth pilferage along these lines does occur. Being generally attentive to your belongings is usually sufficient.

Yes, you can close your eyes on trains. Once you are settled in to a compartment your compartment mates will informally and reliably guard your belongings. This is subject to the caveat that unfortunately sometimes things do go missing.

I always chained my luggage whilst on trains, and noticed that many local Indians also did so. And among those who did not chain their luggage they almost invariably had locks on their cases.

Do not be inordinately fearful about pilferage/theft. Do be prudent, and careful on trains.

Hi all
Good post and very good responses. (Better than discussing about God's existence, which can be left to the individuals feeling rather than discussing and hurting each other).

Read this article below.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/4033513.stm

Though an ideal world we want to be like the village in the above article, there is a village in Andhra Pradesh called "Stuart Puram" which is full of thieves, rather thieves rehabiliated.

I used to travel in India only in trains and lost shoes, luggage, baggage and even my mathematics books several times.

Having a luggage chained to the seat is not a bad idea. Though, like some body mentioned earlier, if we are not panic about our luggage or have contents not worthy (except for inconvenience) then fine.
Otherwise not taking sufficient care of our luggage is not an excuse.

1. Keep important docs in a pouch (waist belt) inside your dress.
2. The outside look and feel of the luggage and yourself are the factors for attracting thieves.
3. Suitcases etc has to be chained.
4. In unreserved compartment dont leave it in your place and go out for getting food etc. Chances (again Chances) are that they may stay where they are.
5. Also westerners means usually, the thieves are also considerate. This is because of the scam that goes behind this. The police knows the usual suspects. Because they have some share on it. When a westerner loses a luggage, the complaint is taken seriously. If the police getting good share then the luggage is never recovered otherwise (if not very valuable) then the luggage is found miraculously. This happened in Bhopal in front of my own eyes. I lost a suitcase and also a foriegner, his luggage was found within an hour, mine could not be found till today. So the thieves are also considerate. They won't go for foriegner's luggage to avoid "their" inconvenience.

Have you heard this story
There is a national highway going through a dense forest. Armed robberies are very common. Once a bus was stopped and all the people were instructed to rip thier valuables (gold jewellery, watches, wallets and any other liquidable valuables) and hand over to the robberers. At the end of the heist, the thieves went outside the bus, came back threw all that they took in front of the bus conductor(ticket issuer) and told him to give back to thier owners. An elderly man was courageous enough to ask why did they do this?. Then the gang leader told them, the heist is not worth since they have to pay a certain amount to the local police and the total is not even coming to the commission. If they take away these, then they have to pay more than what they took. so they left without taking a penny. So no reporting of the robberly.
You got it.

In any case, are we going to lose anything by being little more alert?

Cheers
gluedtoweb