After car stereos and tyres, rear view mirrors
have become the prime target of thieves. In the past fortnight, 15 instances of
mirror theft have been reported from areas in South Delhi like Greater Kailash
and Chittaranjan Park. Police suspect a Meerut-based gang is behind this new
crime trend.
The spate of thefts started on July 5 and within three nights the gang stripped three Audi cars of their mirrors. The cars were parked in Hemkunt Colony, GK-1 N block, and GK-1 R block. The thieves next struck in CR Park. On July 9, they stole the mirrors of a Toyota Corolla and a Hyundai Verna near B block. On July 12, another theft was reported from G block in Kailash Colony. And on Monday, an Alaknanda resident reported that the rearview mirrors of his Honda Brio had been stolen.
The spate of thefts started on July 5 and within three nights the gang stripped three Audi cars of their mirrors. The cars were parked in Hemkunt Colony, GK-1 N block, and GK-1 R block. The thieves next struck in CR Park. On July 9, they stole the mirrors of a Toyota Corolla and a Hyundai Verna near B block. On July 12, another theft was reported from G block in Kailash Colony. And on Monday, an Alaknanda resident reported that the rearview mirrors of his Honda Brio had been stolen.
Meerut gangsters seems to be the obvious
culprits in these cases as two Honda City cars were also stolen from the CR
Park police station area within 24 hours of the first mirror theft. On July 7,
one car was stolen from A-Block in GK-II Enclave. The owner told police that he
parked his car near his house at 12.30 am and found it missing in the morning.
Another Honda City was stolen from the GK-II market nearby. Police said two
Maruti cars, an Esteem and an Omni, were also stolen from the DDA flats and
Alaknanda Market. The Esteem was stolen on July 7.
“This shows the thieves were after specific
models. They must have received a demand for Maruti cars. This is usually the
modus operandi of Meerut based gangs.” a source said. Also, the Meerut gangs
usually strike at 3-4am, and all the thefts were committed in the early hours.
“They dispose of the mirrors in areas like Jama
Masjid, Daryaganj, Seelampur and Kashmere Gate at modest rates ranging from Rs.
2,000 to Rs. 3,000 a pair. The mirrors are then touched up and sold for Rs.
8,000-9,000 per set, which is much less than the price of a new pair that can
cost Rs. 15,000-50,000.” The source added.
After a spate of mirror thefts in 2012, a gang
led by a thief named Irshad was busted in Saket. They had stolen about 40 pairs
of mirrors. Irshad committed crimes in an Alto car and targeted 2-3 upscale
localities where expensive cars are parked on the roadside, always striking in
a new area to avoid getting caught.
Source: Times of India
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