Twin Cities’ cops form special team to check vehicle thefts

HUBBALLI: To bring down the number of motor vehicle theft cases and trace these cases, the police commissionerate has formed a special squad.
Vehicle theft cases are gradually increasing in the twin cities. According to sources, in the past two months, more than 10 two-wheeler thefts have been reported in Hubballi-Dharwad, of which not a single case was traced. Police are suspecting various angles behind vehicle theft cases. Large scale unemployment following Covid-19 lockdown is said to be one of reasons for rise in vehicle theft cases and also police suspect it to be a handiwork of any gang.
In most of the vehicle theft cases, police do not register any case since some of the miscreants steal the bike by unlocking the handle lock, ride it till the petrol tank gets empty, and later they drop it somewhere on the road. It is for this reason that police do not register vehicle theft cases for 2-3 days. As a result, many vehicle theft cases go unreported, sources added.
R Dileep, commissioner of police told TOI that a special squad, headed by DCP crime Basargi, hs been formed to trace vehicle theft cases. “People should park their vehicles inside their premises and avoid parking them by the roadside to prevent thefts,” he said.
Vehicle theft cases are reported in night hours mainly from near the hotels which are open till late night. Though police have found video footage in most of the cases, since vehicle lifters cover their faces with masks, it becomes difficult to trace them, said sorces.