Alarming numbers: For car thieves, boom-bust economics at work

Data indicates there has been a considerable fall in the number of cars stolen this year

ISLAMABAD:

More than 6,000 vehicles and almost 2,000 motorcycles have been stolen from the capital in the past thirteen years.

Data collected by The Express Tribune shows that in the period from January 2002 to October 30, 2015 around 6,294 vehicles and 2,140 motorcycles have been stolen from the capital. Moreover, the data further suggests that police have only been able to recover 1,449 vehicles and 248 motorcycles during the same period.

In 2002, when Muhammad Akram was IGP, only 75 cases of car theft were reported in the capital. In 2003, the figure shot up to 108 vehicles.

In 2004, a total of 182 vehicles were stolen, and the figures consistently increased every year, with 273 stolen vehicles in 2005 and 333 in 2006.

By 2007, 480 cases of car theft were reported in different police stations. There was sharp rise in 2008, when 721 cases of car theft were reported, and the police could only claim 112 recoveries.

As the security situation improved in 2009, the number of car theft cases registered fell to 538, but in 2010, the figure spiked again, rising to 630 vehicles stolen from different areas of the city.

In 2011, the figure slightly decreased to an even 600 cases. Another fall was registered in 2012, when 524 cases were reported.

The next two years showed more increases, with 743 vehicles reported stolen in 2013, followed by a record high of 766 in 2014.

The current year, however, shows a remarkable drop in thefts, as only 330 cases of car theft were reported in the first ten months of the year. Recoveries, however, are still few and far between, as the data shows that the police recovered only 75 vehicles.



As for two-wheelers, in 2002, only 37 motorcycles were stolen from the city, while a record 442 cases of motorcycle theft were reported last year. Till the end of October 2015, a total of 235 motorcycles were reported stolen, and only 37 recovered.

The targeted areas

A senior police official, requesting anonymity, told The Express Tribune that a few parking areas were considered ‘high risk’, including the parking lots of Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims), Polyclinic, Sunday bazaars, Aabpara, and the district courts. The official said that the Margalla Police Station’s jurisdiction is the most problematic, as Pims, the courts, and Centaurus Shopping Mall all falling under its jurisdiction. The official explained that urban areas were soft targets as it was easier for carjackers to case areas for targets.

“On March 4, 2014, I parked my car in Aabpara and found it missing two hours later,” said Faisal Abbasi, a shopkeeper in Aabpara market. He said that after two days, he got a call from an unidentified man who demanded Rs200,00 to return the car. He said that he did not pay the money and has not seen his car again, noting that the police failed to get any leads on the vehicle or the thief.

Police involvement

Police sources claimed car thefts are not possible without connivance of police, adding that corrupt cops are paid a share of the income by carjackers.

Sources said many gangs were operating in the capital, including Punjabi and Afghan-origin carjackers. They pick up vehicles from the capital and take them to the tribal areas, where the vehicles are either held for a ransom, resold, or stripped for parts.

In many cases, people claim to have paid to recover their cars. “I lost my car in 2012, following which I received a call from the tribal areas asking for Rs300,000,” explained Majeed Bhatti, a resident of Bani Gala. He said an agreement was reached on the telephone and he got his car back from the GT Road after paying the amount.

The FIR ordeal

Moreover, many car theft cases go unreported as people have become convinced that reporting the theft is an exercise in futility.

The story does not end here. The process of registering an FIR can be cumbersome, to say the least. Adeel Anwar, a government employee who lost his motorcycle in June 2014, said his visit to the police station was a nightmare. “You either need to have money to bribe the officials to take down the complaint, or an influential source who can push them to do it without greasing palms,” he said.

And the top cop says

IGP Tahir Alam Khan admitted that thousand of vehicles were stolen from the capital, but made sure to point out that there has been a decrease in car thefts this year. The existing figures indicate that the police have improved its performance, he said.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 23^rd,  2015.