Beware Delhiites, a car stolen every 12 mins in national capital

New Delhi, Jan 10: Delhi is not only unsafe for women, but also for cars. The theft of vehicles is on a rise in the national capital and the city cops have blamed the vehicle-owners for it.

Delhi Police has reportedly said that reluctance of the vehicle-owners to install safety devices was one of the major reasons behind thefts. More than five vehicles were reported stolen every hour in the national capital last year, data released by the Delhi Police showed earlier.

A total of 44,158 motor vehicle theft cases were reported in 2018 as against 39,084 such cases in 2017. Among the stolen vehicles, 32,984 (74.70 percent) were two-wheelers, 8,036 (18.20 percent) were cars and 3,138 (7.11 percent) other vehicles. As many as 4,619 (10.46 percent) stolen vehicles were recovered and 6,751 auto lifters arrested, the data stated, as per a PTI report.

According to the data for the city, 418 vehicles were reported stolen per one lakh vehicles in 2018, while the corresponding number for 2017 was 379. Motor vehicle thefts accounted for about 19 percent of the total IPC cases in the city in 2018, and in about 12 percent of such cases, the stolen vehicles were found to have been registered outside Delhi, it showed.

The data stated that the rise in thefts was due to an increase in vehicles, inadequate parking space and parking on roadsides. The reluctance of vehicle-owners to install safety devices was also stated as a major reason behind thefts, police said, adding that advertisements have been issued from time to time in newspapers, advising people to install anti-auto-theft devices.

Some of the steps taken to curb motor vehicle thefts include identification of affected places, proper deployment of staff in these areas and manufacturers being requested to install security devices in vehicles.