Mira-Bhayander-Vasai-Virar sees surge in car thefts

Vehicle thefts in the MBVV area have surged to 310 cases this year, with inter-state gangs exploiting demand for cheap vehicles and advanced technology.

MUMBAI: Vehicle thefts are soaring in the Mira-Bhayander-Vasai-Virar (MBVV) area. Police statistics indicate that the number of car and bike thefts is significantly more than the past year, which saw 200 thefts—this year, at least 310 cases have been registered in the last eight months. HT did a deep dive to find out the reasons behind the increase and what the crime syndicate does with the stolen vehicles.

Mira-Bhayander-Vasai-Virar sees surge in car thefts

MBVV officers said there were several reasons for the increase in thefts. “There is a huge demand for cheap vehicles in the rural areas, where vehicles can be sold without any paperwork,” said a police officer. The lack of marked parking spaces, the increasingly sophisticated modus operandi of the thieves and the involvement of inter-state gangs have made the thieving process simpler.

No official parking spaces

In September last year, the MBVV traffic police identified 300 spots for a project to fight illegal parking in the twin cities. A year later, the project has failed to take off, for which the police hold the civic bodies, which failed to put up signage, responsible.

The project was launched since residents, plagued by a lack of parking spaces on internal roads, had been urging the government to allocate official parking spots. “In the absence of these, four-wheelers and two-wheelers are being parked in remote lanes and bylanes,” said a resident. An offshoot of this is that the vehicles become more vulnerable to theft.

Thieves using modern technology

Officers said that car thieves were constantly updating their skills, which put even modern state-of-the-art vehicles at risk. These vehicles are equipped with advanced safety features, including keyless entry operating through a barcode embedded in the windshield. Thieves exploit this technology by scanning the barcodes and sharing the codes offshore, enabling them to unlock cars and even gain remote access.

Inter-state gangs involved

According to the police, which recently nabbed a gang and recovered 47 vehicles, the gang’s strategy after stealing a vehicle involved inter-state work. Such gangs first forge documents and register stolen vehicles in north-eastern states like Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland. Later the registration is transferred to Maharashtra Regional Transport Offices (RTO) for sale under different registration numbers in different parts of the state.

Avinash Ambure, deputy commissioner, crime branch, said that the recently arrested accused were part of a much larger gang, and efforts were on to track down the other members. “Buyers should insist on seeing all the documents while purchasing a second-hand vehicle and make sure that the vehicle was not stolen,” he said.