PA ImagesA pickpocket who claims she is forced to steal says she makes more than £250,000 a year by targeting unsuspecting UK shoppers.
The 23-year-old Bulgarian gypsy, who has not shared her name, says her sneaky moneymaking scheme began after her parents sold her into marriage for £67,000 when she was just 14 years old.
Her immoral ‘dipping’ career, which involves stealing from people’s pockets and bags while they’re distracted, earns her up to £900 a day, though she apparently doesn’t keep any of it for herself.
PixabaySpeaking to The Sun on Sunday, the Bulgarian explained she is strictly instructed by her in-laws, who live with her children in a village near the Bulgarian capital, Sofia.
She added she is closely ‘managed’ by her husband and fears she will never see her children again unless she does what she is told.
To ensure their daughter-in-law continues pickpocketing, the controlling mother and father call her hourly for updates and to tell her where to meet up with fellow ‘dippers’, who work in twos or threes from around 8am until 9pm to steal as much cash as they can.
PixabayIt’s unclear exactly what the pickpockets do with the cash but presumably the money is sent to those ‘in charge’, which is seemingly the woman’s in-laws.
She lives in London with her husband, where they share a small rented house with eight others.
Though she spends her days stealing, the Bulgarian is desperate to assure people she is not a bad person at heart.
She cried as she explained:
I want the people I steal from to know that I am a nice person. I don’t want to do it. I want to break away, but it is impossible.
PixabayThe Bulgarian woman is hoping her story will raise awareness for other women in danger of getting caught up in a similar situation.
She continued:
I hope other girls in my community will read this and get out before they have children.
According to Inside Over, there are events known as ‘bride markets’ in Bulgaria, where young girls are sold to male suitors.
PixabayOne community taking part in the controversial tradition is the Kalaidzhi Roma clan; a group of Orthodox Christian gypsies who gather to celebrate the annual event.
One mother from the group explained nowadays young girls have some input when it comes to choosing the man they will marry, though in the past girls would be lined up on a stage while men bid on or competed for their hand.
The shocking tradition suggests women are nothing more than objects that can be bought and used, and the 23-year-old pickpocket’s situation highlights how sad and awful this life is.
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Emily Brown first began delivering important news stories aged just 13, when she launched her career with a paper round. She graduated with a BA Hons in English Language in the Media from Lancaster University, and went on to become a freelance writer and blogger. Emily contributed to The Sunday Times Travel Magazine and Student Problems before becoming a journalist at UNILAD, where she works on breaking news as well as longer form features.