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Car thefts
 Last week a doctor's Maruti 800 car was stolen from a hospital at Egmore in broad daylight. The same day another car was reported to have been stolen in north Madras at night after attacking a watchman, the car being later found abandoned.
Most criminals steal cars only for their Stereos. According to the police crime sheet, 80% of such offences take place with an eye on these stereos. Some even make away with the car batteries in addition to the stereos, and in some rare cases the tyres also. The victims of such thefts, by and large do not take them too seriously as they recover what is lost by way of insurance.
But the law enforcing agencies look upon such crimes seriously as sometimes the criminals use stolen cars for committing crimes such as kidnapping and robbery.
With terrorist activities becoming increasingly common, such thefts should be viewed very seriously . In the recent bomb blasts in Mumbai, terrorists planted bombs in a car and abandoned it at a busy place. Since the car was hired by the terrorists from a private travelling agency, the police did not have much trouble in cracking the case. But there are always possibilities of terrorists acquiring such cars from criminals for two reasons-- firstly they could be bought dirt cheap, and secondly the police would not be able to trace the person who sold the car.
Policing would become that much more difficult if terrorists resorted to buying cars from car thieves.
In this context it becomes necessary for car owners to be doubly careful about their cars, for if they are acquired by the terrorists, the actual owners would land in serious trouble as a result of the police investigation. In case a car is stolen, the owner should immediately lodge a complaint with the police. Provision like the automatic locking system, burglar alarm, and lighting facilities throughout the night where the car is parked are some of the protective measures which the car owners should take. In view of the recent terrorist activities and bomb blasts by using cars, the police should necessarily take serious measures to check the incidence of such car thefts. Whenever any case of car theft is reported, the Police Department should immediately issue a state wide alert if terrorist activities are to be effectively curtailed.
Harvey
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