According to a data released by Delhi Police, five motor vehicles were stolen every hour on an average in the national capital in 2018. The data also stated that a total of 44,158 motor vehicle theft cases were reported in 2018 as against 39,084 such cases in 2017. Among the stolen vehicles, 32,984 (74.70 per cent) were two-wheelers, 8,036 (18.20 per cent) were cars and 3,138 (7.11 per cent) other vehicles. As many as 4,619 (10.46 per cent) stolen vehicles were recovered and 6,751 auto lifters were arrested.
The data also showed that 418 vehicles were reported stolen per one lakh vehicles in 2018, as compared to 379 in 2017. While, motor vehicle thefts accounted for about 19 per cent of the total IPC cases in Delhi in 2018, about 12 per cent of such cases showed the stolen vehicles to have been registered outside Delhi.
According to the Delhi Police commissioner, Amulya Patnaik ‘the rise in thefts was due to an increase in vehicles, inadequate parking space and parking on roadsides. He also went on to say that the reluctance of vehicle-owners to install safety devices was also a major reason behind thefts despite advertisements issued from time to time in newspapers, advising people to install anti-auto-theft devices.
‘Most motorcycles are casually parked in poorly lit areas, making them easy targets.’ said Amulya Patnaik. ‘Automobile manufacturers do not equip new vehicles with security features as they want to stay competitive in terms of price. That makes the vehicles an easy pick for thieves.’ added Patnaik.
As preventive measures, the police are in the process of identifying theft-prone places and time zones to deploy officers accordingly. They have also requested manufacturers to install security devices in the vehicles.