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Car Theft - A Breeding Business in Town
It’s interesting to note that India falls in the list of countries with highest reported car thefts. One thing common to all these countries is that there exist several organised gangs specialised in this business. Their operations are spread across cities and towns and are extremely hard to track due to the level of their sophistication in not just stealing but later dispatching the stolen cars. Generally, the stolen cars are sent across state borders after body modification and sold at low prices through dealers.
According to a press release from Mumbai Police, there is substantial growth in the car theft business and the overall value of these stolen cars crosses Rs 100 Crore. In India, the most stolen cars are usually the one that have reasonable resale value such as Maruti Suzuki Swift, Maruti Suzuki Alto, Mahindra Scorpio, Tata Indica, Mahindra Bolero, and Tata Sumo. These car models are high value targets for car thieves. Even the low priced Maruti 800 is not spared as it is easy to steal due to its lack of safety equipment (unless separately installed by owner) and also enjoys good resale value in smaller towns and villages. An officer of Mumbai Police quotes, “Car thieves have strange tastes. They might dump an expensive Chevrolet Optra or Toyota Camry and go after a Maruti 800.” According to a survey, vehicles like Toyota Qualis and Tata Sumo are in great demand in south Indian states and the lobbies offer them at prices that are much lower than market rate.
Consider the two main reasons that make car theft a booming business. The first and very obvious reason is that it is easy money. Even though car burglars sell the stolen cars at prices lower than market value, they still have a lot to gain as they never paid a paisa for it to start with. The second reason is that prospective selling places for the stolen cars are easily accessible. There are organised gangs who are well setup to sell these cars to unsuspecting buyers. The pre-owned car market is an easy place to dispose the booty. In India, used cars are in good demand and the pre-owned car market is an important part of the car industry here. Organised gangs that are setup to deal in stolen cars often involve used car dealers who are in most cases an important part of the racket. However, they remain untouched due to lack of evidence in most cases.
According to a press release from Mumbai Police, there is substantial growth in the car theft business and the overall value of these stolen cars crosses Rs 100 Crore. In India, the most stolen cars are usually the one that have reasonable resale value such as Maruti Suzuki Swift, Maruti Suzuki Alto, Mahindra Scorpio, Tata Indica, Mahindra Bolero, and Tata Sumo. These car models are high value targets for car thieves. Even the low priced Maruti 800 is not spared as it is easy to steal due to its lack of safety equipment (unless separately installed by owner) and also enjoys good resale value in smaller towns and villages. An officer of Mumbai Police quotes, “Car thieves have strange tastes. They might dump an expensive Chevrolet Optra or Toyota Camry and go after a Maruti 800.” According to a survey, vehicles like Toyota Qualis and Tata Sumo are in great demand in south Indian states and the lobbies offer them at prices that are much lower than market rate.
Consider the two main reasons that make car theft a booming business. The first and very obvious reason is that it is easy money. Even though car burglars sell the stolen cars at prices lower than market value, they still have a lot to gain as they never paid a paisa for it to start with. The second reason is that prospective selling places for the stolen cars are easily accessible. There are organised gangs who are well setup to sell these cars to unsuspecting buyers. The pre-owned car market is an easy place to dispose the booty. In India, used cars are in good demand and the pre-owned car market is an important part of the car industry here. Organised gangs that are setup to deal in stolen cars often involve used car dealers who are in most cases an important part of the racket. However, they remain untouched due to lack of evidence in most cases.
Recently, many car manufactures like Maruti Suzuki, Mahindra & Mahindra, Hyundai, General Motors, Ford, and Tata have ventured into their own pre-owned car businesses. As a result of this, it’s expected that this will help refine the segment and reduce the flow of stolen cars into the used car market.
Once considered as a fancy accessory more than a need, electronic vehicle security systems are now part of standard equipment on new car models. Even on older cars, people have been spending good money to install feature rich safety systems in their cars. This would seem like a discouraging factor for car thieves but that hasn’t really worked as they too have transformed from the traditional ‘crack and speed away’ style to more sophisticated means of lifting cars. They’ve learnt to employ their own custom made technology to break electronic safety systems in cars. There have been a few reports of thefts of cars with well secured and advanced electronic car safety devices.
In olden days, if their operations were mostly single-handed, now they work in groups. As one team works during the day to locate easy targets, the other works during odd hours on lifting the targeted cars. According to Police officials, the burglars do have well planned modus operandi to steal a car. It might take weeks of planning before they actually manage to get away with one. Often, there are ways to get a hold of the car key itself where people had over the keys to attendants. For e.g. valet parking, fuel stops, and tyre shops. Once the thieves get a print of the key’s pattern, they waste no time in spotting the vehicle and taking it away.
While the car theft scene seems to be extremely scary, there are several ways to prevent cars from being stolen. Like the famous saying goes, ‘a stitch in time saves nine’. It might be true that a few car thieves are able to get around even the most sophisticated and reliable car alarms and anti-theft systems but the attempts of the less sophisticated thieves (which are currently in larger number) can be thwarted by installing modern security devices though they may appear a little heavy on the pocket. This is probably one of the best methods to protect one’s car.
While the car theft scene seems to be extremely scary, there are several ways to prevent cars from being stolen. Like the famous saying goes, ‘a stitch in time saves nine’. It might be true that a few car thieves are able to get around even the most sophisticated and reliable car alarms and anti-theft systems but the attempts of the less sophisticated thieves (which are currently in larger number) can be thwarted by installing modern security devices though they may appear a little heavy on the pocket. This is probably one of the best methods to protect one’s car.
For those working on a lower budget, there are some simple and less expensive safety gadgets that can be installed such as simple wheel immobilizer and hidden fuel switch which enable the owner of the car to lock the wheels of the car so that it can’t be moves or cut off fuel flow before leaving the car. If a car fails to start, the possibility of it being abandoned by a car thief is high.
Parking the car in dark, secluded, and lonely places should be avoided as it is always such places that give car lifters the required privacy for their work. Also, as mentioned before, care must be taken while handing over car keys to attendants at fuel stations, local mechanics, and tyre shops. The most important thing of all is to have the car well insured at all times with good car insurance. So that even in case of a theft, the financial loss can be limited.
It is common attitude that such incidents are common but will not happen to self. Irrespective of who the car owner is, if it is easily accessible to a thief, it will be targeted by all means. Vigilance and precaution will prevent cars from being stolen and put a brake on this breeding business. After all, prevention is better than cure.
It is common attitude that such incidents are common but will not happen to self. Irrespective of who the car owner is, if it is easily accessible to a thief, it will be targeted by all means. Vigilance and precaution will prevent cars from being stolen and put a brake on this breeding business. After all, prevention is better than cure.
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