Two vehicles a day stolen on an average in Chandigarh in 2017
Till December 15, about 800 vehicles (both two- and four-wheelers) were stolen from different parts of the city.
Vehicle thieves have had a field day in the city this year, as on an average two vehicles have been stolen daily.
Till December 15, about 800 vehicles (both two- and four-wheelers) were stolen from different parts of the city. Police have recovered 170 of these vehicles with the arrest of 105 thieves.
On December 15 itself, three cases were registered — two of car theft and one of a scooter.
Jitender Singh of Sector 15 complained that his Maruti Esteem car was stolen from outside his house. Krishan Kumar of Sector 30 made a similar complaint. Harbhajan Singh of Pinjore, who was visiting a bank in Sector 17, found his TVS Jupiter scooter parked near HDFC Bank stolen.
‘Stolen two-wheelers used for snatching’
Sources in the police said there is a direct correlation between incidence of snatching and vehicle lifting. They said around 50 stolen two-wheelers were seized from snatchers in 117 cases.
“We have arrested chain snatchers who have been lifting vehicles to use them to target people. After the crime, they park the vehicles in isolated areas,” said UT deputy superintendent of police (DSP, crime) Pawan Kumar.
Meanwhile, figures show a consistent rise in the number of vehicle thefts, with the south division registering most of the cases this year. While about 800 vehicles have been stolen so far this year, 616 were stolen in 2016 and 601 in 2015.
“Investigations have revealed that more two-wheelers were stolen as compared to four-wheelers,” said Kumar.
Keeping in view the spurt in cases, the UT police have initiated a drive to impound two-wheelers that are left unlocked by their owners. Sources said most vehicles that were stolen were not locked by their owners. The owners have to visit the sub-divisional magistrate’s office to get their impounded vehicles released.
Tabs to keep a tab
To facilitate detection of vehicle thieves at nakas, the UT police have provided tablets to all station house officers (SHOs). Police have found that in many cases thieves put fake numbers on stolen vehicles to drive around without being caught.
The tablets are loaded with a software with the help of which the cops can gets details of vehicle — its type, make and model — by keying in the registration number.