Last year, as a result of the pandemic and the subsequent lockdown, motor vehicle thefts rose marginally as their detection rate went down with Mumbai Police being caught up in imposing the norms with regards to COVID-19 in order to contain the spread of the coronavirus.
According to a report in Indian Express, a total of 2,801 motor vehicle thefts took place in 2020, wherein 1,085 cases account for 39 per cent of the total cases detected. Of the total 2,801 vehicle theft cases, 2,019 cases were of two-wheelers, 185 were four-wheelers and the remaining 623 cases were thefts of other vehicles like rickshaws, tempos etc.
Incidentally, even before the lockdown and with police nakabandi at entry-exit points, thieves managed to steal more vehicles from Mumbai. In the year 2019, a total of 2,619 vehicles were stolen and 1,157 i.e. 43 per cent of the vehicles were recovered.
Moreover, according to the data shared by the news house, most vehicle thefts took place in the North (Goregaon to Dahisar), West (Bandra to Jogeshwari) and East region (Ghatkopar-Mulund, Chembur-Mankhurd) of the Mumbai Police, as it enabled the thieves to slip out of the city faster as compared to South Mumbai or Central Mumbai. About 2,054 of the 2,801 cases i.e. 73 per cent of the thefts took place occurred in these three regions.
On the other hand, back in February, it was reported that nearly 5,000 vehicles had gone missing in Mumbai in the last two years. Moreover, 3,000 vehicles are yet to be traced. Out of the 5,000 vehicles, Mumbai Police have been successful in locating 2,000 of them. The stolen vehicles are usually used for fleeing after committing crimes, carrying explosives, carrying weapons and planting explosives in terrorist activities.
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