With Gurgaon Police continuing to be short on men and equipment, especially to handle the high level of ‘street crime’ in the City, it would be prudent for people owning vehicles, particularly luxury cars and motorcycles, to invest in good quality anti-theft devices such as GPS tracking systems and alarms, and mechanical devices like gear locks, steering locks, tyre locks and heavy duty chains, to prevent car thieves from ‘skimming’ their vehicles or running away with them. On an average there were 10 vehicle thefts in Gurgaon every day throughout 2014 (total 3,638) – and the trend continues. The threat is serious, because the majority of vehicle lifters operating in Delhi-NCR are professionals - they seem to have every tool of the trade. Police officials say that these smooth operators use sophisticated equipment, including laptops and master keys, and don't think twice once they have chosen a 'soft' target. They will take only a few minutes to steal your dream vehicle. The ‘normal’ modus operandi is that one of the gang members breaks the lock, anther drives it to the ‘receiver’, who then takes it to the final destination - for sale, or the scavenging of the parts. The business is well organised and well spread. Sometimes cars are even stolen on specific ‘orders’.
Despite the threat of auto-lifters looming large in the City, what is surprising is that only a few vehicle buyers have installed GPS tracking devices and anti-theft devices or alarms in their vehicles. Sub-Inspector (SI) Raj Singh of the Vehicle Theft Cell of Gurgaon Police, which is a specialised agency that has been set up to check such crimes, tells Friday Gurgaon that vehicle owners will have to ‘co-operate’ with the Police in checking this menace. "A large number of vehicle owners park their cars in unsecured places, and also many times leave their keys in the ignition, while they 'rush' to take care of some tasks. This provides the auto-lifters a good opportunity to steal the cars, as they are constantly on the prowl in busy areas, parking slots and near government offices - looking for ‘easy’ prey," says Singh. Every vehicle theft reported to any police station within Gurgaon is forwarded to the Vehicle Theft Cell for investigation. Experts from the Cell visit the crime scene, check CCTV footage if available, review the likely suspects and immediately plan raids. A large number of vehicles, particularly motorcycles, are stolen by Mewati gangs, who are well aware of the topography of the City and seem well versed with the ‘borders’ from where they can exit with ease. Police officials say that the stolen vehicles are taken to villages in Nuh, Tauru and Punhana, and even to Rajasthan villages like Chor Garhi - which are infamous for being hubs of stolen vehicles. A police official adds that it is very difficult to raid villages in Mewat, as the entire population turns up and violently protests against any police raids. Their best (or only) hope to seize stolen vehicles is to stop them before they reach these destinations. SI Raj Singh says that there are also gangs based in NOIDA and other parts of NCR that target only luxury vehicles such as SUVs and high-end bikes. A large number of vehicles stolen from Palam Vihar were recovered from Jhajjar and Bhiwani districts of Haryana, after Gurgaon Police caught a notorious car thief who was an expert in breaking alarm and device codes. An expert thief takes about half an hour to crack the code of a luxury car, and Police say that there are several such operators across Delhi-NCR. ASI Khalil Ahmed, who is in-charge of the Sadar Bazar police post, says that the Police has increased its surveillance and checking in the ‘Old’ Gurgaon area, particularly markets where the rate of vehicle theft has been high. According to him, it is not only gangs, but also disgruntled youth looking to make quick money, who have been found to be involved in these activities. A low rate of conviction has made auto-thieves bolder; and the punishment (3 to 5 years) for car theft is also not seen a major deterrent for habitual criminals. In a number of instances, even car thieves booked for multiple robberies have managed to get bail, and continue to indulge in the same activity. A police officer says that it is only when vehicle lifters are involved in serious offences - such as being caught with arms, firing on the Police or attempting to kill someone - are they in serious danger of serving long years in prison. "Most of the car thieves are ‘clever’ in this respect, and do not offer any resistance - barring the few who are ‘prone’ to violence," he adds. So 'fearless' are some car thieves that recently a Police official, who was driving his car, was forced to hand over the keys to them as they were armed. Another Police official’s car was stolen. However, the most audacious form of car theft is where the thieves, after stealing top end luxury vehicles, demand ‘ransom’ for the safe ‘delivery’ of the vehicles. Police officials of the Vehicle Theft Cell also say that it is very difficult to predict where and when the next crime would take place. Although the new Police Commissioner has set up a crime hot-spotting system, till the time this process is complete, it is unlikely that vehicle thefts can be ‘prevented’ in the Millennium City. Singh also says that tracking and recovering a vehicle after it has reached the destination villages in Mewat, Meerut or Rajasthan is very difficult. A Police team recently encountered violent protests, and even attacks, when they went to recover some stolen vehicles. A number of times the vehicles are just stripped; their parts are sold in the second hand spare parts market, while the body is sold as scrap. The auto-lifters also have a network of ‘experts’ – who can ‘properly’ tamper with the chassis numbers and create duplicate ‘papers’ (which are used by buyers in rural areas and other mofussil towns, where checking is not very stringent). Recently a number of luxury cars that were stolen from Delhi-NCR were recovered from Etawah district of Uttar Pradesh. A number of prominent local businessmen and politicians had purchased the Pajeros and other luxury vehicles, without any registration papers, for a pittance.
What is however surprising is that, despite the imminent threat of vehicle theft looming large over the City, most vehicle owners do not seem to have noticed. And have therefore not acted. Vaibhav, who owns Car Sansar, a car accessories shop on the ‘Old’ Delhi Gurgaon Road, says that he sells very few GPS tracking devices to car owners. The majority of the owners are not worried about theft, and say that their car insurance would take care. Vaibhav says that manual gear and steering locks are very helpful in dissuading thieves. On the operation of GPS devices, he says, "If a car fitted with a GPS device is stolen, the owner just has to send an SMS to us, and we will immediately send a command, which will immobilise the vehicle, and it won’t (re)start." The device also helps in locating the car; in fact a number of times the tracking device has helped in pinpointing the exact location of a stolen car. Gurgaon Police officials say that they recently managed to recover a car from Sohna, after a long chase, as the car was fitted with a tracking device. The cost of a GPS tracking device is between Rs 6,000 to 12,000, and is available at any good car dealer in the City. Neeraj Vashisht, who deals in second hand cars, says that due to the high incidence of vehicle theft, they now deal in cars that come with a reference. "We avoid buying and selling cars from/to unknown people, as this could lead to problems," he avers. SI Raj Singh suggests that car owners, and particularly drivers, should avoid giving a lift to unknown persons, as they could be potential criminals who are targeting cars. The Police officials further suggest that licences, registration cards and other identification papers should never be left in the car, as these could be misused by the thieves. The car and bike keys should not be given to parking lot attendants. More importantly, vehicle owners should park only in well-lit areas – it is a different matter that streetlights are functional only on some roads in Gurgaon. A majority of the people in Gurgaon, particularly those living in HUDA sectors and unauthorised colonies, park their cars outside their homes, which makes it easier for the thieves. There has been some decline in vehicle theft in areas that have improved their CCTCV surveillance and installed gates. The Police say that the thieves may have ‘temporarily’ shifted to other areas, and could come back to strike once the attention of the guards goes down after some time. To prevent thefts, the Police suggest that vehicles should be parked inside houses and garages. To ensure that stolen vehicles can be identified once they are recovered, the car and bike owners should etch their vehicle registration numbers at several places (on their vehicles) with an engraving tool. This will be of great help even for insurers. In fact the vehicle owners should also record other details like chassis number and other part numbers, which are normally required by the Police to identify vehicles. A number of anti-theft devices, apart from GPS-tracker, are also available, and should be installed. Vaibhav says that the installation of anti-theft devices acts as a very good deterrence; criminals tend to avoid such cars. The devices include: Ignition Cut-Off, which is a key-operated or a hidden manual switch, which interrupts the power supply from the battery to the ignition; and Fuel Cut-Off, which is integrated with the fuel line, and prevents any further flow of fuel. Only a special key deactivates the cut-offs. Further: Ignition Column Guard provides protection to the (ignition) starting system; Trunk Lock is a secondary locking device, which may be installed inside the trunk.
A majority of those involved in the car safety business, and even Police officials, agrees that it is very difficult to prevent vehicle theft, but if people take precautions, then these crimes can be minimised. The tracking of vehicles, and their early recovery, would be far better if the available technology is widely used by vehicle owners. The Police are in the process employing technology and software to better plot and even ‘predict’ crimes (or crime spots). Don’t wait for your vehicle to be stolen. Insurance does not cover it all; it also takes time, causes inconvenience and tests your patience. Help the Police help you better. Safety begins at home...or in your vehicle.
Kamal Kumar, whose Hero Honda motorcycle was stolen recently from Sector 14, says that the loss of his motorcycle has just been the start of his problems, as the Police issues an untracked, non-recovery certificate almost three months after the crime. The insurance company also takes its own time in finalising the claim, which is also only 50 to 60 per cent of the vehicle cost in most cases.
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