4 vehicles stolen every hour, says police

Auto theft is on the rise in the national capital with four vehicles being stolen every hour. Mobikes are the prime target of the vehicle lifters, according to the data shared by Delhi police.

The demand for twowheelers has increased as the snatchers and robbers use stolen vehicles to carry out criminal activities, as they cannot be traced, a police officer said.

This year, till June 30, 21,298 cases of motor vehicle thefts were reported. As many as 12,689 mobikes have been stolen, accounting for 60 per cent of thefts, the data revealed. About 3,871 cars and 3,237 scooters were also stolen during this time, while other vehicles accounted for seven per cent of the thefts.

“The accused use stolen mobikes to carry out snatching and robberies so that even if the registration number is captured in the CCTV footage, they cannot be traced,” he said.

“The auto- lifters steal motorcycles only on demand from snatchers,” the officer said. The number of motor vehicle thefts reported last year was 40,972. In 2016, a total of 38,644 vehicles were lifted.

According to police, Several incidents in the city have revealed that in many of the cases the vehicle used in the commission of crime are stolen. This syndicate has increased the cases of auto lifting. The lifters even provide vehicles on demand, the police added.