EMN
Dimapur, September 19
In view of the widespread of vehicle theft cases in the state, the Kohima police had constituted an Anti-Vehicle Theft Squad on March 19, 2015 under the direct administrative control of the Kohima police. The squad was to prevent, detect and investigate all types of vehicle theft cases in the district.
Making good its purpose, the police squad has so far from its inception recovered 37 stolen vehicles from Kohima district and thirty two persons has been arrested in this connection so far. The comprise two trucks, a mini-bus, five Mahindra Boleros, four Mahindra pick-up trucks, four Mahindra Scorpios, a Tata Mobile, two Tata Sumos, a Tata Safari, an Ashok Leyland pick-up truck, two Maruti 800, a Maruti Swift Dezire, a Maruti Wagon R, a Maruti Zen, a Honda City, a Maruti Alto, a Hyundai Santro, a Maruti van, and seven motorcycles. The police have estimated the total worth of the vehicles at Rs. 2.59 crores.
The police authorities of Kohima issued a press release on Saturday, September 19, offering updates about the district police’s fight against car-lifting.
The police stated: “Out of 37 stolen vehicles which have been recovered by the team, 15 vehicles has been already released on zimma to the rightful owner as per the order of Chief Judicial Magistrate Kohima and the remaining 19 vehicles which were reported stolen as per the NCRB database are still in custody and awaiting reports and clearance from the counter-part like Chandigarh Police, Delhi Police, Assam Police, Arunachal Police, Noida Police, Rajasthan Police for claiming and taking over of the stolen vehicles.”
The police said that investigations had led to finding that the modus operandi of the car thieves was to kept a watch over a targeted car for some time and monitor the activities of its owner. “Once they get a chance they lift the car and fled from the scene within a short time span of 5 to 10 minutes. And for a thief, there is nothing like a car as it is self propelled and fully equipped for a fast getaway and they can cover a distance of 40 to 50 Kms per hour irrespective of the road conditions in the state,” the police stated.
The police explained that the cars stolen from one state are usually sold in another state to unsuspecting buyers. Cross selling across states is making things difficult for the law enforcement agency to track the stolen cars. Forged registration papers, supporting documents and a fake registration number are not difficult to procure in the state.
“Often, used car dealers work hand in glove with car thieves, who frequently operate as part of a larger gang. In other cases, these cars are dismantled and individual parts are sold in the open market. Stolen cars are also being used in crimes and then abandoned.”
To avoid legal complications in future, an individual or group intending to buy pre-owned vehicles are advised in the interest of public service to verify the records of the vehicle and get an no-objection certificate from the police commissioner’s office or from district police superintendents’ offices before purchasing second hand vehicles.
Although car thieves can target almost any kind of vehicle, the following cars are “hot favourites”, the police said:
• VFM and popular hatchbacks like the Maruti 800, Alto, Wagon R, Swift, Hyundai Santro, i10 etc
• VFM and popular sedans like the Maruti Esteem, Dezire, Tata Indigo, Honda City, Toyota Corolla etc
• MUVs & SUVs like Mahindra Scorpio, Bolero, Chevrolet Tavera and Innova.
• Premiums SUV like the Mitsubishi Pajero are darlings too. These cars can find buyers almost in any part of the country; and this is exactly what thieves look for cars that are easy to sell with minimum fuss.
Taking reference of the recent recoveries of stolen vehicles by Kohima police, all vehicle owners of the state should gear up and take due precautionary measures of how to protect their vehicles against theft by using anti-theft equipment that works though there is no such thing as “theft-proof car,” the police said.
“But in order to make things difficult as much as possible for the thief, thereby deterring him from stealing your car – choose a car with factory fitted immobilizer, a pro-grade security system like GPS – equipped systems before buying a new car or by installing an additional gadgets like pedal locks from a reputable brand or by installing a hidden master switch which is popular with the jeep and gypsy folk.”
The switch “basically breaks” the power supply from your battery to the ignition, or shuts off the fuel pump altogether, the authorities said.
The authorities of the capital town have assured that the district’s police will continue its efforts to check and recover stolen vehicles. However, vehicle owners are also requested to take necessary precautions and inform the police at the ‘earliest possible time’ in case of any vehicle theft.
