Motor vehicle theft remained the least-solved crime in 2018 though the number of cases reported increased by 12.9% as compared to 2017, show data provided by the Delhi Police.
In 2018, the total number of motor vehicle theft cases reported stood at 44,158, as compared to 39,084 in 2017 – which accounted for about 19% of the total crimes reported. However, only 19.6% cases were solved, the police data also stated.
Commenting of the statistics, Delhi Police Commissioner Amulya Patnaik told The Hindu that going by the trend of the last few years, it is a healthy detection rate under the crime head as it is not a crime that can be traced to the criminal. “It is one of the difficult crimes to investigate and is mostly solved when gangs of auto lifters are busted and then linked with their previous involvement,” he said.
Special Commissioner (Crime) Satish Golcha said that the police have identified this as critical focus area and are “stressing on improving the situation”.
The police said that most of the cases of motor vehicle thefts include two-wheelers and the analysis of the crime shows that such vehicles are parked in unguarded and poorly-lit areas.
“Public also needs to take security measures to protect their vehicles by installing security and detection devices. The reason behind increase in motor vehicle theft is inadequate neighbourhood security, ‘the police-only-can-prevent’ attitude, which needs to be addressed in the coming year,” said a senior officer.
As preventive measures, the police are in the process of identifying theft-prone places and time zones to deploy officers accordingly. They have also requested manufacturers to install security devices in the vehicles.
In 2018, the police said, of the 44,158 stolen vehicles, 32,984 were two-wheelers and 8,036 were cars. However, only 10.46% vehicles were recovered, while 6,751 auto lifters were arrested.
