CHANDIGARH: Around 35 vehicles were stolen every month from different parts of the city this year. The UT police have been able to solve only 26 per cent of the auto theft cases. According to the police record, as many as 420 vehicles were stolen from different parts of the city till December 15, 2020 and the police recovered only 111 stolen vehicles by arresting 71autolifters.
However, the number of vehicles stolen this year is less than last year. In 2019, a total of 616 vehicles were stolen from different parts of the city.
In 2020, the UT police have also registered fewer cases of burglaries in comparison to last year. Last year, 16 police stations of the city had registered 125 cases of burglaries, while this year, 73 cases were reported in the city till December 15, 2020. The police also claimed to have solved 29 cases with the arrest of 37 accused so far.
The data reveals that there was a dip in vehicle lifting cases due to the Covid-19 lockdown and curfew imposed in the city for almost three months. Though, autolifters were active in that period too. The police record mentions that nine vehicles were stolen in April, when the city was under complete lockdown.
In May, 18 vehicles were lifted by the auto-lifters, while 25 vehicles were stolen in June, when the city slowly started picking up pace after the lockdown.
Post the Covid-19 lockdown, the city saw an increase in the number of auto theft cases. In July, 49 vehicles were stolen, 46 vehicles were stolen in August and 38 were lifted from in September.
During the festival season, the city once again saw rise in the vehicle lifting cases. In October, 49 vehicles were stolen. In November, the number of vehicles being stolen came down to 29 and 16 vehicles have been stolen in the city from December 1 to December 15.