Five pickpocketers who operated in Montreal and Laval were arrested on June 21, according to Laval police.
In a statement, police said 50 officers were involved in an operation to bust the thieves. Raids were conducted at five addresses in Laval, Montreal and Brossard, resulting in the arrests.
Police said there is no reason to believe the thieves were part of an organized network.
Two men and one woman have already appeared at the Laval courthouse to face charges of theft stemming from incidents as far back as October.
Police said media coverage of a rash of pickpocketing in March led to numerous reports, allowing investigators to draw links between crimes in different cities. Officials said there were at least 100 incidents of theft, with damages in the thousands of dollars.
The names of the accused are:
- Walid Benaouda, 29
- Amine-Redha Kadri, 37
- Roza Zetchi, 28
- Anass Sanad, 23
- Abdelkader Bechou, 47
According to police, all the crimes were committed by targeting objects that were easily accessible in coat and jacket pockets or in handbags left on the back of chairs. The thieves then allegedly used credit cards to make fraudulent purchases.
