The Hindu Business Line : Psychology of theft

‘Thou shalt not steal’ is an age-old commandment. This implies that stealing and theft should have been prevalent since earlier times, the provocation generally being some dire necessity or compulsion. Then, as society evolved into a more complex entity, the motives for theft also multiplied. Hence, perhaps, the evolution of numerous synonyms, such as burglary, dacoity, heist, larceny, and so on! (Puritans in the use of language — particularly pedagogues and pleaders — are known to insist on the use of such terms appropriate to the nature and context of the crime). What with such diversity, no wonder there has been need for elaborate criminal codes to tackle those crimes.

Irresistable urges

It is amusing to learn that certain acts, such as cattle lifting, are committed even when the offenders are aware that they would easily be caught as the stolen ‘item’ cannot be hidden easily from the eyes of the investigating agencies. Still, they persist in repeating the offence and become habitual offenders. Psychologists explain that these thieves belong to a ‘type’ in whom urges and instincts to steal are uncontrollable. In fact, such instincts grow into a mania that drives its victims to indulge in silly pilferages — being tempted to take away even pencils and erasers. This is ‘kleptomania’.

All these apart, a number of actual incidents are quite interesting. Some years ago, the National Audit Office, UK, had found that currency worth £25,000 had been stolen from the Royal Mint, London. If it could happen in England, it should not shock people to know that a few years back, bundles of currency notes were missing from consignments of cash despatched from the Mysore Mint to Thiruvananthapuram. Prominent instances of burglaries in banks all over the world are well-known, and well-publicised in the media.

Widely prevalent is power theft from public grids. In India, the bulk of theft is so huge that there is an expression ‘T&D’ losses in electricity, standing for transmission and distribution losses! Luckily, in India, too many instances of power theft by residents, hair-dressers, and restaurants have not come to notice as in China. Some odd instances are curious. A renowned public prosecutor of France attending a conference in Germany stole a colleague’s credit card. Why? To pay for visits to brothels! Interestingly, the owner of the credit card was a German delegate. There was the other instance of a 26-year-old South Korean lady, suspected of embezzlement of $1.4 million to fund a craving for designer shoes, bags, and clothes in thousands. Certainly a ‘luxury addict’.

Understanding the psychology

Then, how do we understand the psychology of those such as the one who chose to steal Tagore’s Nobel Prize medallion from Shanti Niketan, and the other who chose to take away a sample bit of ‘Moon Stone’ from a museum? What money would these trophies fetch for these ‘petty’ thieves? At least antiques, ancient artefacts, and idols do fetch smugglers fabulous sums. In the light of all this, crocodiles, pythons, and lizards being stolen should cause us no surprise. Coming to offenders, a recent news report has it that the British are the most prolific shoplifters in Europe? In 2004, they had indulged in ‘petty’ thefts of the value of £3.58 billion. Is the incidence of ‘kleptomania’ highest in Britain? It would interest readers to know that the Venezuelan Government has relaxed penal rules to be lenient to thieves who steal food and medicines, driven by extreme hunger or need. They call these thefts ‘famine thefts’.

(The author is a Bangalore-based freelance writer.)

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