Question : VEHICLE THEFTS



(a) whether cases of thefts of vehicles are on the rise in the country including the National Capital Territory of Delhi;

(b) if so, the details thereof during each of the last three years and the current year, State-wise alongwith the recovery rate achieved thereon;

(c) whether the Government has taken any steps to facilitate inter-state investigation/tracking/recovery and prevention of vehicle thefts; and

(d) if so, the details thereof?

Answer given by the minister


MINISTER OF THE STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF HOME AFFAIRS (SHRI AJAY MAKEN)

(a) to (d): A statement is laid on the Table of the House.

STATEMENT REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PARTS (a) TO. (d) OF LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. 228 FOR 10.08.2010.

(a) to (d) As per the information compiled by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), a total of 90951,100255 and 120032 cases of motor vehicle thefts were reported in the country during 2006 to 2008 respectively.

The State/UT-wise details regarding the number of cases registered, chargesheeted, convicted and persons arrested, chargesheeted, convicted for the offence of automobile theft during 2006 to 2008 are at Annexure -I. The State/UT-wise details of cases of stolen/recovered motor vehicle, their value and percentage of recovery of total cases during 2006 to 2008 are at Annexure-II.

`Police` and `Public Order`are State subjects under the Seventh Schedule to the Constitution of India and, therefore, the State Governments and UT administrations are primarily responsible for prevention, detection, registration and investigation of crime, including the crime of vehicle theft, and for prosecuting the criminals through the law enforcement machinery within their jurisdiction. The Government of India is, however, deeply concerned about crime, including vehicle theft, and has issued an advisory to the State Governments and UT Administrations on 16th July, 2010 which is available on the web site of the Ministry of Home Affairs (http://mha.nic.in)

No mechanism exists to facilitate inter-state investigation/ tracking/recovery and prevention of vehicle thefts. However, NCRB, under its Motor Vehicle Coordination System (MVCS), maintains records of stolen and recovered motor vehicles and thus helps in prevention of sale and purchase of stolen motor vehicles. A total of 32 Motor Vehicle Verification Counters, including the one at NCRB Head Office in Delhi, are functioning across the country to provide services to the general public regarding stolen/recovered vehicles. Access to MVCS is also available through NCRB website (http://ncrb.nic.in).