How cops fudge vehicle theft figures

When it comes to vehicle thefts, Delhi has been ranking first for the past couple of years. Considering the alarming situation, Delhi Police have started employing fresh tactics to bring down the theft figure.

When it comes to vehicle thefts, Delhi has been ranking first for the past couple of years. Considering the alarming situation, Delhi Police have started employing fresh tactics to bring down the theft figure.

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When a vehicle is stolen from a parking lot, the police register the case under IPC Section 406 (criminal breach of trust) instead of under Section 379 (theft). This clever ploy

automatically brings the theft graph down as the case turns into one of breach of trust.

Explaining the law, a senior police official said, “In case your vehicle is stolen from a parking lot and you want to get an FIR registered, chances are high that you will fall in the police’s trap. The parking slip will work as evidence that you had entrusted the parking attendant with your vehicle’s safety, making him responsible for the vehicle’s theft. The police will use this to their advantage and register a case of criminal breach of trust instead of theft. But it is the victim who will suffer when he goes to claim the stolen vehicle’s insurance.”

Agreed Bhawani Shankar Sharma, a senior divisional manager at Oriental Insurance Company Ltd: “Getting a case registered under Section 379 (theft) means that your vehicle was stolen. If you go to the insurance company with such an FIR, you will be liable for the insurance amount. But a case registered under Section 406 (criminal breach of trust) bars you from claiming the insured amount.”

Shankar added that all insurance-providing companies accept claims of only theft or burglary cases.

In recent years, instances of vehicle thefts being registered under Section 406 of the IPC are on the rise, he said, posing immense problems to the already harried victims.