State tops the chart in vehicle theft

On the national map, Maharashtra has emerged as the state where maximum number of motor vehicle thefts is recorded. What's more, most of these vehicles are still untraced.

Closer home, Mumbai figures in the top three cities vis-à-vis car thefts. Delhi tops the list, followed by Patna. In 2004, the Mumbai police had registered as many as 3,267 complaints of motor vehicle thefts, of which 1,775 were of two-wheelers and 1,259 of four-wheelers. In 2005, the corresponding figures were 3,523, 2,085 and 1,204, respectively. And the detection rate has been dismal - a mere 18 per cent, even though the Mumbai police have succeeded in establishing a pattern in the thefts.

Sources said the fact that the thieves operated in gangs and not in isolation made detection difficult.

Maharashtra Director General of Police PS Pasricha said, "Maharashtra does not have computerised database of vehicles registered and getting registered in the state. Because there is no database, it becomes extremely difficult to trace stolen vehicles. We also lack a database of driving licences issued by the regional transport offices across the state."

Since Maharashtra had the maximum motor vehicle population, it was only natural that maximum thefts are recorded in the state, he said.

Even though organised gangs are involved, the law does not recognise car thefts as organised crime. It falls under property theft. Therefore, even if the thieves are caught, they easily get out on bail.

In Mumbai, most motor vehicle thefts occurred in posh localities like south Mumbai and parts of western suburbs, where the rich and the famous lived, police sources said.

Again, in south Mumbai, 50 per cent of thefts occurred in areas near Churchgate and another 25 per cent along Marine Drive, they said.

Big parking lots like the one at the airport are where many stolen cars are parked after theft. These cars were then transported to Ahmedabad, Baroda, Indore and other areas of neighbouring states, the sources added.

They said more than 50 per cent of two-wheelers stolen from south Mumbai were lifted in the night and sent out of the city by early morning trains. The stolen vehicles were booked as luggage by agents of the gangs, the police sources said. 

Sources at Commissioner of Police AN Roy's office told DNA that a committee of Deputy Commissioners of Police (DCPs) had been formed under Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime) Meeran Borwankar.

The biggest victims of motor vehicles thefts are insurance companies. Most of the stolen cars and two-wheelers are less than one year old. Because of this, majority of vehicle owners are not interested in getting the vehicles recovered. Rather, they want insurance claims settled.

Dos and don’ts:

Always get your car serviced at an authorised service station. Never leave your car keys lying around the place.

Get your car licence plate number etched on to the windscreen, door windows and rear glasses. This helps identification when put up for sale, so a thief will usually leave such cars alone.

When selecting a car stereo, invest in one that is entirely removable or one where the control panel is detachable. These are more expensive than fixed units, but you can carry it along when you leave the car.

Invest in a car security device in addition to basic door locks / central locking. The national capital is partial to devices that disable vital functions of the car such as the steering, brakes, accelerator, etc. on unauthorised usage.

Licences, registration cards or other identifying papers that a thief can misuse should never be left in the car, a clean Xerox copy should usually suffice.