It is not two-wheelers or cars, but trucks that are going missing. In the last two months, there were four incidents of theft of trucks - with or without goods - from the vehicle owners in the city and on its outskirts.
Earlier, there used to be incidents of miscreants waylaying trucks heading to North India, killing drivers and escaping with the truck loaded with goods.
But theft of vehicles committed in most cases by the drivers, whom they trusted and handed over the keys, has raised concerns among truck owners.
The police said that the thefts were committed by drivers who joined work in the recent months. In a couple of incidents, the drivers stole the trucks on the day they joined the employer.
Only days or weeks after the vehicles were stolen were the police able to track the vehicle at places where they were ready for sale.
According to the truck owners, they recruit after they verify the identity of drivers either through driving licence or other proof provided by the drivers.
But, only later do they come to know that these are forged documents.
Truck owners are in a hurry to recruit drivers due to heavy demand for skilled drivers, which has forced many trucks to stay away from the roads.
The police have asked truck drivers to verify with the driver’s previous employer. This should be carried out in addition to verifying the address mentioned in the driving licence and other proof.
Fleet owners are advised to install GPS tracking in all their vehicles, to make tracking the vehicle easy than going in search of the vehicle after it was stolen. Owners should not entrust new vehicles with drivers just recruited, the police suggested. New vehicles can fetch higher prices and hence these are targeted, the police say.
(reporting by
M.K. Ananth)
