Thefts on rise: Dude, where’s my car?

There seems to be no stop as 70 cars were reported stolen last week in January.

ISLAMABAD: “The rate at which the cars are being stolen, the city will soon run out of cars,” said a senior police officer in a recent meeting, according to inside sources.

More than 70 cars were stolen in Islamabad in the last week of January, despite the presence of 93 checkpoints and dozens of police vehicles patrolling different roads of the city.

For the capital police, controlling carjacking has always remained a herculean task. “It has been a headache, the most serious crime to control, second only to terrorism in Islamabad,” said a senior police official.

The worst hit is the Industrial area, which comprises sectors I-8 and I-9. More than 25 cars were stolen from there.

The second favourite playing ground for the carjackers was the Shalimar area, with more than 20 cars stolen. Shalimar comprises sectors F-10, F-11, G-10, G-11 and G-12.

Sabzi Mandi came in third, with 20 stolen cars.

The posh sectors of F-6 and F-7 remained relatively safe.  Five cars and two motorcycles were stolen from the area under Kohsar police jurisdiction.

An analysis of the thefts reveals that the outer cordon areas in Islamabad, which are easier to exit, remained the hunting ground of thieves.

“’They (carjackers) know more about the exit routes than police. Every time we catch a carjacker, he reveals an exit route completely new to us,” a senior police officer told The Express Tribune.

However, the investigations and police’s reconnaissance revealed that a common route used mostly by the carjackers was the IJ Principal Road. The road leads them to motorway from where they exit the city without much hassle.

“Both Rawalpindi and Motorway police do not bother much to check them,” the officer maintained, adding that the motorway police was particularly un-cooperative with the capital police.

Explaining the purpose of the 93 checkpoints set up all over Islamabad, a police official said, “Previously, their mandate was different. They were supposed to look for terrorists not carjackers and that was what they were doing.”

He added, “A few months ago, some carjackers were arrested at these checkpoints. We found out that they had been passing through these pickets for a long time.”

Repeatedly, police have come up with “innovative” ideas to curtail car thefts. Every time, however, these thieves prove more efficient and manage to find a safe-exit route through police’s changed security plan.

In the wake of the recent wave of car thefts, police has decided to relocate some of the checkpoints from entry to exit points of the city. Through this move, they hope to intercept stolen cars as they are leaving the city.

The number of policemen in plain clothes and private cars has also been increased. This strategy, police sources said, has remained effective.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 6^th,2011.