It seems the ability of the Pune police to crack vehicle theft cases is witnessing a downward trend. According to the data available with the Pune police, they were able to solve 19.67% of the vehicle theft cases registered last year, down by 1.59% compared to 2009.
Of the 2,948 vehicle theft cases that were registered in 28 different police stations in 2010, the police could crack just 580 cases. On the other hand, they detected 687 of the registered 3,230 cases in 2009.
On an average, eight vehicles were stolen daily in 2010, compared to nine in 2009. According to police sources, a marginal rise in the number of thefts of four-wheelers in 2010 compared to 2009 is another disturbing trend that has emerged. While 272 four-wheelers were stolen in 2009, the figure stood at 311 in 2010.
“The Hadapsar police station jurisdiction has become the most vulnerable as far as vehicle thefts are concerned. Among the 28 police stations in the city, the highest cases were registered at Hadapsar police station for the second consecutive year,” police said.
In all, 279 and 271 cases were registered at the police station in 2009 and 2010 respectively.
Senior police officers conceded that it is a major challenge to curb vehicle thefts. “A majority of the thefts are taking place in localities close to rural areas. It is easy for goons to flee with vehicles, unlike in the heart of the city, where due to traffic signals it is difficult to escape with vehicles,” police officials said.
Besides Hadapsar, police stations such as Yerawada, Bhosari, Pimpri, Nigdi and Kothrud are vulnerable due to their vicinity to rural areas.
The police officers emphasised the need for more authorised parking zones in the city to prevent vehicle thefts. “The root cause of the problem lies in the absence of proper parking facilities. If vehicles are parked in authorised parking zones, there are fewer chances of them being stolen since there is an attendant,” police officials said.
The senior police inspector of Hadapsar police station, Pandhrinath Mandhre, said suspects from the rural areas target vehicles in his jurisdiction. “We have arrested suspects from Solapur, Latur and Pune rural in the past for vehicle thefts. We usually urge vehicle owners to use proper locks,” Mandhre added.
