One vehicle stolen in Delhi every 36 mins

A vehicle is stolen in the Capital every 36 minutes. That's 40 vehicles every day. The Delhi Police have come up with a plan to make a dent in this number.

A vehicle is stolen in the Capital every 36 minutes. That's 40 vehicles every day. The Delhi Police have come up with a plan to make a dent in this number.

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They're not proposing secure parking lots and improved surveillance but rather, a Q&A test for car owners.

They've prepared a pamphlet with 10 questions on car safety that they are distributing among Delhiites. Each question has three answer options with different marks for each and at the end of the pamphlet is an index of right answers. The end score shows how safe one's vehicle is.

"If his score is less than 5, it means he is careless and needs to strengthen his security. That's why we have given the right answers and one can find out how to make one's vehicle safe," said Ajay Chaudhry, additional commissioner of police (southeast).

"If a vehicle owner isn't satisfied after taking the survey, he can contact our men any time and we will tell him how to adopt better safety measures," he added.

Some of the questions: Do you lock your vehicle after parking it? Do you leave costly items in your car? Do you check all doors to make sure they are locked? Do you keep your registration papers inside your car?

The car owner is supposed to reply yes, no or never/definitely.

Delhi accounts for 9.7% of vehicle thefts in India, second only to much larger Uttar Pradesh (14.1%) and Maharashtra (12.7%).

According to the National Crime Records Bureau, 14,668 vehicles were stolen in the Capital in 2011. Vehicle thefts constitute 15% of all crimes committed in the city.

"If you have a gear and steering lock, the thief can't take your car even if he manages to open it. Preventive measures can reduce thefts," a senior police officer said.

"Most stolen vehicles can't be traced as they are sold in far off northeastern states or even Nepal."