Stolen wheels: Over 33,000 vehicle theft cases recorded in Delhi this year

A total of 33,133 vehicles have been stolen in the national capital this year, reveals police data from the ZIPNET (Zonal Integrated Police Network).

The situation has improved slightly compared to the last year. During the same period last year, 34,789 vehicles, including cars, buses, motorcycles and other automobiles, were stolen.

This means that on an average 97 vehicles were stolen by thieves daily. Among the stolen vehicles, 16,871 were bikes, 8,201 scooties, 4,004 cars, 286 autorickshaws, 337 trucks and 176 tempos, besides other automobiles.

However, the Delhi Police have intensified their crackdown on organised vehicle lifting syndicates, besides adopting surveillance measures, including the use of CCTV and analytics-based policing, to recover the stolen vehicles. Multiple cases involving inter-state gangs, which stole luxury vehicles and transported them to other states using fake number plates and master keys, have been busted this year.

An international vehicle theft syndicate was unearthed in May with the arrest of eight individuals. The gang used to smuggle stolen luxury cars. It would identify the vehicles parked in low-surveillance areas or roadside locations, focusing on popular models for their high resale value.

They used tools like advanced key programming device to hack ECM codes, disable security systems and generate new keys for stolen vehicles. Besides, they employed scanning devices to disable GPS trackers, rendering vehicles untraceable.

In June, three members of a family, who were involved in stealing high-end SUVs from upscale areas in Delhi and selling them to other states, were arrested.

They used sophisticated tools to bypass vehicle security systems and managed to steal 20-25 SUVs. They sold the stolen vehicles illegally through receivers based in Meerut, Uttar Pradesh.