Pickpocket spotted in action

I live near Paris and a few days ago in St Michel railway station I
spotted a pickpocket at work.

A couple of asian tourists were going down stairs looking at direction
signs. The young thief walked down just behind them. The man had a
sort of box like bag with a strap slung over the shoulder. It was
hanging near his hip a little behind. While the couple was going down
and the box was jerked the thief started to search the box in find of
valuable, his foray lost in the general movement.

We, with a passerby, spotted him at the same time and stopped him. We
asked the couple to check their valuables and since everything was OK
and the thief was a minor we let him loose.

So when visiting touristic places (everywhere in the world) just
remember to keep watchful and not to have open bags, wallets in the
back pocket of your pants... Be careful of children if they seem out
of place (late at night, in small groups with no school bag...).
Nothing to be afraid of but it is a noisance.