Only 15% of stolen cars are recovered in Delhi

On Friday, Delhi police teams fanned out across the city to look for an 80-year-old man, identified as Dhani Ram Mittal, who officials say is involved in more than 90 cases of auto lifting.

On Friday, Delhi police teams fanned out across the city to look for an 80-year-old man, identified as Dhani Ram Mittal, who officials say is involved in more than 90 cases of auto lifting. But going by the police’s own figures, there’s little chance that the cars he stole will be found. Police have been able to recover only 15% of cars stolen in the capital.

HT Image

Vehicle thefts top the crime chart in Delhi. This year, more than 13,000 vehicles were stolen of which only 2,069 could be traced. And to top it, there has been a 15% rise in car thefts in 2010 over the year before — 38 car thefts a day. The Northwest Delhi police, who nabbed two of Mittal’s accomplices, claimed he is an old hand in the game. Police say that citizens should install safety gadgets in their vehicles to make them theft-proof.

“People should spend money in installing security equipment like automatic gate locks. Most people do not even take out their important documents like registration and insurance papers before parking cars for the night,” an officer added. Victims of burglary fare only slightly better — figures show that recoveries are only 35% in these cases.

Thieves on the prowl