With the upcoming state assembly elections in five states and the local body elections in Maharashtra, car thefts have gone up in Mumbai since 2011. There is a huge demand for white SUVs during election campaigns.
With the upcoming state assembly elections in five states and the local body elections in Maharashtra, car thefts have gone up in Mumbai since 2011. There is a huge demand for white SUVs during election campaigns.
The police have registered 4,702 cases of motor vehicle thefts in 2011 of which only 1,540 cases are of two-wheelers.
Around 400 SUVs have been stolen in the city, and 90% of these were white. According to statistics given by the Mumbai police, Scorpio (133), Bolero (106), Tavera (106) and Qualis (52) are the most popular cars among thieves. Among the smaller ones, Santro (106) is the most stolen, followed by Indica.
“We have found that during elections, a lot of SUVs are stolen. A majority of these are white as the colour is in demand during political campaigns,” said joint commissioner of police, crime, Himanshu Roy.
The police will talk to manufacturers of the most stolen SUVs to find out what is wrong with the structure of these vehicles that makes it easy to steal them. “We will tell the companies to resolve the problem. The police and the manufacturers need to understand the loopholes in the vehicles,” said Roy.
The police will also keep a tab on vehicles used in
elections to track down the stolen cars.
Earlier, the police used to register a missing complaint in the matter of a stolen vehicle, but now they are registering a case of theft. “It is a serious crime. Our focus is on stopping it,” said commissioner of police Arup Patnaik.
They are also planning to come up with a team of detection officers to look into the menace. “We are already in the process (of preparing a team); in 2012, motor vehicle theft will be dealt with more strictly,” said Roy.
There has been a 20-25% hike in motor vehicle thefts every year in the last five years. Of the 4,702 cases, the police managed to solve only 1,193. In 2011, around 2,606 two-wheelers were stolen. The most stolen bikes are Pulsar (512), Splender (351) and Passion (193).
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