Mumbai: Vehicle thefts see a significant rise in 2021

According to an RTI reply given to The Indian Express earlier this year, out of the 2,801 motor vehicle theft cases in 2020, 72% involved two-wheelers.

Mumai car theft mumbai crime mumbai news

Most vehicle thefts took place in the North (Goregaon to Dahisar) followed by West (Bandra to Jogeshwari) suburbs. (Representative Image)

Vehicle theft in the city till last month saw a significant rise compared to the same period in the past two years i.e. more than the thefts registered in 2019 when there was no pandemic.

According to data made available by the Mumbai Police, till July this year number of cases rose to 1,898 cases from 1,359 cases till last July, a sharp rise of 539 cases. Before the pandemic in 2019, around 1,560 cases were registered till July, which is lesser than the number of thefts registered this year.

A police officer, who has worked in the Property Cell that investigates motor vehicle thefts committed by inter-state gangs said, “Last year, due to the pandemic there was a lockdown and restrictions on vehicular movement. Further, there were many nakabandi points due to which the number of thefts decreased.”

Story continues below this ad

“But this year, the restrictions on vehicles were eased. Also, due to the pandemic, police action has taken a hit. This year as a top priority, hundreds of cases have been registered against lockdown violators to stop the spread of Covid-19 unlike in 2019, which has kept police busy this year,” the officer added.

According to an RTI reply given to The Indian Express earlier this year, out of the 2,801 motor vehicle theft cases in 2020, 72% involved two-wheelers. Most vehicle thefts took place in the North (Goregaon to Dahisar) followed by West (Bandra to Jogeshwari) suburbs. In the three year vehicles worth Rs 38.62 crore could not be recovered.

Stay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on Instagram

Tags:
Mumbai