'Hugging Thieves' Make Off With Strangers' Valuables in Stockholm

(NewsCore) - Being hugged could mean you're being mugged in Stockholm these days, with a gang of thieves on the loose who embrace strangers as a way of picking their pockets.

According to the news website The Local Sweden, the "hugging thieves" approach their victims and without any greeting clasp them in their arms, sometimes even hoisting them off the ground.

While one does the lifting, another picks the victim's pockets, making off primarily with wallets and cell phones.

The Local said more than 20 people, both men and women, have been robbed in the past two weeks in central parts of the city.

Police think there may be as many as four people in the grab-and-run gang.

Read more: The Local Sweden