90% of the four-wheelers stolen last year were of that colour, says Mumbai police; many are later used in election campaigns

White may be soothing to the eye, but according to Mumbai police, car owners should steer clear of the colour as much as possible. That's because white four-wheelers are most popular with thieves. In fact, around 90 per cent of the cars, which were stolen last year, were of that colour. 4,702 vehicles were swiped in the city in 2011, including both four and two-wheelers. Chevrolet Taveras, Mahindra Scorpios, Mahindra Boleros and Hyundai Santros were clearly the most sought after. Among two-wheelers, Bajaj Pulsars, Hero Honda Splendors and Hero Honda Passions found favour.


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"Ninety per cent of the four-wheelers stolen were white in colour," said Himanshu Roy, joint commissioner of police (crime). "These vehicles are mostly lifted and taken to Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and other states where polls are to be held. Here they are often used by local leaders for campaigning," he added.

Going up
The figure of 4,702 auto-lifting cases in 2011 is up from 4,167 vehicle thefts the previous year. Police have managed to make arrests and have recovered around 1,193 vehicles. City cops are now in the process of writing to major automobile companies like Bajaj, Hero MotoCorp Ltd, Chevrolet and Mahindra, requesting them to look into the issue of security. "We will take their suggestions and make recommendations to them about measures that can be taken," said Roy.

Mumbai police is also coming out with a dedicated squad that will look exclusively into cases of vehicle theft, which have been on the rise.

Crime in 2011
The total number of cases registered last year under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) went down to 32,191 (it was 33,645 in 2010). Region-wise in Mumbai, the Western suburbs topped crime rates, followed by Central, East, North and South.