Theft of vehicles is shooting up in proportion to their rising number on the city roads. In the past eight months,the traffic police have registered 1,873 vehicle thefts,of which 1,623 were two-wheelers. From the statistics,an interesting fact has emerged; almost 70 per cent of vehicle-lifting was reported between noon and midnight. Besides,most vehicles were stolen when they were parked on the roadside. As far as the success in recovering the stolen vehicles is concerned,the traffic police have been able to crack only 358 cases,about a fifth of the vehicle thefts registered between January and August 2010. In a press release issued by the Deputy Commissioner of Police (Traffic),Manoj Patil,it was stated that out of 1,873 vehicles,944 were stolen from the roadside. Vehicles stolen from parking spaces of housing societies,too,was high,724. The data also showed that of the 1,623 two-wheelers stolen,946 were Hero Honda bikes. The traffic police have asked people to be cautious. Vehicle owners should ensure the vehicle is properly locked. Apart from inbuilt handle locks,use of additional locks would curb vehicle thefts, Patil has said. The police also appealed to housing societies that besides appointing a security guard and a watchman at the entrance of housing societies,use of technology to keep a check on movements in parking lots would bring vehicles thefts down. Police also feel that if,instead of parking vehicles just anywhere,they are parked at bays raised by the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC),vehicle thieves could be kept at bay. The police said taking care of ones vehicle has become all the more important as they could be used by terrorists to execute terror plans.
