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Invasion of the Bag Snatchers in Phnom Penh
If you've been to a backpacker ghetto anywhere in the world, you've seen them. For fear of having their belongings snatched, they guard their bags carefully. Perhaps wearing their rucksacks in the front and wrapping an arm around it for extra security. That might seem like overdoing it. After all, who is going to rob a backpack with a bunch of smelly clothes and out of date edition of Lonely Planet? But the ease with which a practiced thief can snatch a bag is surprising. All two thieves on a motorcycle, perhaps with a razor blade, need to do is slice a strap or grab a purse or camera and pull hard. Then it's bye-bye dirty clothes (or camera or passport or cash).
Bag snatching is on the rise in southeast Asian cities like Phnom Penh. It has always been a problem, but things are especially bad now that inflation has put the economy into a downward spin. Some thieves have completely abandoned the timeless art of bag snatching, and instead simply knock their victims off their motorbikes and make off with the loot before the unfortunate rider(s) can recover. Looks like it might take more than wearing your pack in the front to avoid a nasty situation these days. But that's all part of the fun of travel, isn't it?
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
thiefhunter Sep 20th 2008 6:05PM
It's not really part of the fun of travel. Not fun at all if you're pulled to the ground, as many women are. Broken hips and clavicles are common; and women have been killed as they're dragged into traffic. You would think there are enough easy opportunities to snatch bags left unguarded at restaurants, slung on the backs of chairs or put on the floor.
Backpacks and purses carried in back are "gifts," according to thieves. Women are more often than men the targets of pickpockets because of the purse: it doesn't have nerve endings.
Read about thieves and pickpockets and bag snatchers at Thiefhunters in Paradise. http://bobarno.com/thiefhunters
Read how to carry and protect your purse at http://bobarno.com/thiefhunters/theft-thwarter-tips/purseology-101/