19,907 vehicles stolen in Mumbai in 6 years; only 5,732 found

In response to a right-to-information query submitted by activist Shakil Ahmed, the Crime Branch said there were 19,907 motor vehicle (MV) thefts in the city between 2013 and 2018.

In the past six years, 19,907 vehicles, worth over ₹536.65 crore, were stolen in the city. On an average, at least nine vehicles are stolen daily and crowded areas like Pydhonie, Azad Maidan and Mulund are particularly vulnerable to these crimes. Of all the stolen vehicles, only 5,732 vehicles, worth ₹74 crore, have been recovered by the Mumbai Police.

Some stolen vehicles recovered and kept at VP Road police station in Charni Road.(HT File)

In response to a right-to-information query submitted by activist Shakil Ahmed, the Crime Branch said there were 19,907 motor vehicle (MV) thefts in the city between 2013 and 2018. The number rose by a little less than 200 cases between 2017 and 2018.

Ahmed pointed out that the number of thefts had consistently been around 3,000 for the past three years, despite initiatives like installing CCTVs across the city. “The gangs involved in the MV thefts should be identified by the police,” he said.

Officers of the property cell of the Crime Branch, however, said that in terms of percentage, there is a downward trend in thefts. According to the city’s transport department, there were 33.4 lakh vehicles plying in Mumbai in 2017-18 and in 2018-2019, the number has risen to 35 lakh even while the number of thefts have remained around the 3,000 mark.

“In the last decade, vehicle thefts have decreased from 4,068 in 2008 to 3,203 in 2018 due to CCTVs, awareness and quick action by police,” added Sunil Bajare, senior police inspector of the property cell.

Police said the increase in the number of MV thefts between 2017 and 2018 may be due to congestion. Illegal parking on roads makes it easier for robbers to access vehicles. Officials said crowded neighbourhoods like Pydhonie, Azad Maidan, Lokmanya Tilak Marg, Kurla, Andheri, Ghatkopar and Mulund, are vulnerable to MV theft. “In South Mumbai generally, after registering the case, we find the bike or car abandoned in some other area, with an empty petrol tank,” said Pravin Padwal, additional commissioner of police.

Explaining the low rate of recovery of stolen vehicles, the police said thieves often change the chassis number of vehicles. In such cases, the vehicle is stolen at night and by the morning, when the theft is reported by the owners, the robbers have driven the vehicle out of Maharashtra and overwritten or changed the chassis number.

“According to our observation, maximum robbed vehicles land up in Uttar Pradesh or Bihar or even Nepal,” said an officer from the property cell. Once the vehicle is traced, it is expensive to bring it back to Mumbai and difficult to identify the original owner since the chassis number has been changed.

Also, after owners of stolen vehicles claim insurance on the theft, they usually do not want to claim the found vehicle for fear that it was involved in a crime. “The owners do not turn up in front of the magistrates as they have already claimed insurance,” said the officer.