The cases of vehicle thefts in the city are continuously increasing, if figures are to be believed since last eight months vehicle theft has seen a rise as compared to that of previous year. The police though attribute this rise to elections in North East states and lifting of lockdown restrictions which were in place last year.
The continuous rise in cases of vehicle thefts could be seen in the figures released by Mumbai police. In February this year 248 vehicles were stolen from the city while in February 2020 this number was 202. In January this year 325 vehicles were stolen from the city 79 more than that recorded a year ago. 286 vehicles were stolen from the city in December 2020 while in December 2019, 255 vehicles had been stolen.
As per the figures, since August last year there has been an increase in vehicle thefts as compared to previous year. The cops however attribute this rise to elections in the North East states and in West Bengal. Generally it has been seen that whenever there is an election in a big state, vehicle thefts increase in the city. During this period, vehicles have been stolen on demand and sent to states going for elections where such vehicles were used for election rallies.
From March to June last year, lockdown was in full force, heavy police deployment were there at every corner of the city and this had also helped to reduce vehicle thefts and overall crime rate in that period. However as the curbs started lifting crime started to return, said an official.
In the last four years over 12,000 vehicles have been stolen from the city streets, of them Mumbai police were able to solve only 38 percent of cases and the number of vehicle recovered is even less.
