If Only My Child Becomes a Thief... Indian Schools 'Crowded at the Doorstep' Despite Tuition Fees of Hundreds of Thousands of Won

Prevalent Among Low-Income Parents in India

Low-income parents in India are reportedly paying significant amounts of money to send their children to "thief schools" to raise them as thieves, South China Morning Post (SCMP) reported on the 29th (local time). These schools, which teach skills necessary for theft such as avoiding the police and enduring beatings, have recently become popular among India's low-income communities.

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The Kadiya, Gulkedi, and Hulkerdi areas in Madhya Pradesh, central India, are notorious for teaching and training children in theft. Parents send their 12- to 13-year-old children to these thief schools to join local crime organizations and receive skill training. The teachers are naturally former criminals, and some are gang members.

The curriculum is diverse. It includes pickpocketing, stealing bags in crowded places, methods to evade the police, and ways to endure beatings. Young students also learn gambling and alcohol sales techniques. The goal is to train professional gangsters through criminal lifestyle training. The tuition fees are not insignificant, ranging from 200,000 rupees (approximately 3.18 million KRW) to 300,000 rupees (approximately 4.77 million KRW). After attending for one year, students can "graduate" if they successfully steal jewelry at wealthy people's weddings. Graduates are reportedly able to earn five to six times the tuition fees.

In March, a 24-year-old thief who graduated from this thief school stole a bag containing jewelry at a wedding held in Gurugram, northern India. Local police report that more than 300 children from such schools have been involved in wedding theft incidents across India.

In India, theft can result in up to seven years of imprisonment and fines, but since most offenders are minors, it is known to be difficult for the police to take action. India tends to be lenient on juvenile crime, focusing more on correction and education rather than punishment.