Last weekend, Tomorrowland opened the first of its three music weekends at Boom. The opportunity for festival-goers to wiggle their hips to the frenzied rhythm of the biggest DJs on the planet.
Problem: not everyone comes especially to party. Sure enough, outside bands mingle with the crowd with one thing in mind: to strip the revelers. Difficult at this stage to estimate the number of victims. But they would be at least ten according to the Nieuwsblad. “They acted very professionally”comments Fatma Bali for our colleagues. “We were on one of the smaller stages of Tomorrowland on Saturday and that’s where they hit. A friend of mine had her cell phone stolen. It was in her locked bag, and yet the thieves managed to steal the iPhone without being noticed”explains this festival-goer who is originally from Limburg. “The thieves didn’t act alone either. It was a big gang. And what was striking was that they were all wearing shirts with a floral print.”
She then explained the thieves’ modus operandi. “One of them comes to dance with you to distract you. Another commits theft and still others monitor everything to minimize the risk of being caught. Once the loot is in their hands, they pass it on by a wink. And when we spoke to security and the police, we learned that we weren’t the only victims.”
The police still tried to find the thieves. But their technique is well oiled. “Once the loot was in their pocket, they quickly took off their shirts to change. The goal? Obviously to deceive the police. Then they leave with a backpack full of stolen objects which they wrap in clothes so as not to getting caught by security.”
Contacted by the Nieuwsblad, the police also reacted. “It’s a phenomenon that we observe at all major festivals. Not only here in Belgium, but also abroad”explain the authorities. “These are well-organized gangs of thieves who move from festival to festival. Their goal is not to dance or have fun but to steal. They are trained for this and they are very discreet. The victim does not notice everything. stolen. The stolen items are very quickly passed on to three or four different members of the gang at the festival site. This way it is very difficult for the police to find them.”
How to avoid this kind of adventures? According to the organizers, the easiest way is to go through the lockers. “Festival visitors can always use the lockers on the festival grounds. They can store their most expensive items, like phones, in there. This way you are one step ahead of thieves”explains Debby Wilmsen, the spokesperson for Tomorrowland.