ROTTERDAM, 28/06/08 - Rotterdam markets have been pestered in recent weeks by East European pickpockets that dress up as Muslim women. The police spoke in Algemeen Dagblad newspaper Friday of a "strong increase" in thieving fake Muslims.

There are many mainly female Bulgarian or Romanian thieves that dress up in head-covering garments. "It has now become a well-known phenomenon. We see it increasingly often, on virtually all Rotterdam markets," said a police spokesman in the paper.

On a market in Rotterdam-Zuid, a veiled Bulgarian was caught in the act this week. As well as stolen purses, police found seven different coloured headscarves, with which she continually changed 'identity.'