[BeemerBug_06]

Motor vehicle theft and the robbery of automobile parts needs no introduction. It is a problem that is faced the world over. With the passage of time, manufacturers have paid attention to this issue and made vehicles safer and harder to break into/steal. As a result, several people are of the opinion that 'nobody steals cars and bikes anymore', it's a thing of the past now.

I wish to bring to light that the above statement is far from true. To substantiate, here is an incident that happened a few days ago, involving a break in and battery theft of my Maruti Zen.

On Wednesday, 25th September 2024, I had to run some errands in the morning before heading to my office at Lower Parel. Since my office is right beside the Lower Parel railway station, I prefer to commute using the local train as it is quicker and economical as compared to sitting in a traffic jam which doubles the time and wastes fuel unnecessarily. Once done with the errands, I decided to park the Zen at Senapati Bapat Road - the main road beside Matunga Road Railway station and take the train from there, instead of going back home to park the car and coming back all the way.

As those of you in Mumbai would know, there was a terrible thunderstorm that evening and the city was under water in no time. I took the train back in the evening around 7.45 pm from Lower Parel and by 8.15 or so I reached Matunga Road Station. It was pouring cats and dogs. I did not have my umbrella as the sudden cloudburst was completely unexpected.

I ran, completely drenched, towards the Zen and sat in the driver's seat. Once I put the key in the ignition, nothing happened. Thinking the battery terminals may have caught moisture, I reached for the bonnet latch, it seemed as though it was open. I got down from the car and noticed, to my horror, that the bonnet was already open. I carefully lifted it and found that the battery was missing and the main petrol pipe had been left loose. I ran back to the interior and realised that the left hand side front door lock had been opened, probably using a metal scale.





I couldn't believe it! Someone had broken into my car and stolen the battery and possibly some fuel too. It felt terrible. I was already frustrated enough seeing that the bonnet had been left open, causing water to enter the engine bay. Luckily, my friend and electrician Dinesh, who runs Star Auto Electric Works less than a kilometre away from the station came to my rescue with a spare battery in record time, despite the heavy rain and helped me get the car out of there. Thankfully the car had enough fuel to make it home in one piece.



The Aftermath
After carefully examining the car, I was mighty relieved that nothing else had been stolen from the car, neither was it vandalised. Everything was left untouched and most importantly, the car itself was left alone. If the car had been stolen, it would have been another major headache. Maybe the thief tried, but decided to scurry quickly and took the battery , I will never know.

The one thing I can conclude from this incident is that, our country is in no way free of such thefts. As long as poverty and illiteracy dominate our society, none of this will stop, no matter how advanced cars may get. As a result, I would like to pay heed to the fact that we should be careful where we park our cars and two wheelers. The thieves are extremely watchful and keep an eye out everyone and then prepare to strike. Parking space trouble is something each one of us face, especially in metro cities, but still, better safe than story. Park in a safe place.

I decided to talk about this incident on social media to spread awareness and to my surprise, I received a barrage of messages from various people saying that the same happened to them a few weeks ago. Some even mentioned that their car and scooter ECMs were stolen, let alone the battery. Others unfortunately had their vehicles stolen altogether. So I wonder if this is a racket that has struck again in the city, or it is just one that has not been looked into seriously.

In cases where parts are stolen, the culprits are usually drug addicts who resell them to buy their drugs. On the other hand, thefts involving the vehicle itself are more serious where the car or two wheeler is used in a criminal activity and then dumped or stolen for a joyride and then abandoned or worse scrapped. Few people have been lucky to get their stolen vehicles back while others have had to move on, disappointed.

[BeemerBug_06]

I decided to alert the police about the incident and went to local police station. The police took down a complaint (NC) and informed me that in case they find my battery, they will let me know. I know the chances are bleak, however I felt it was necessary to inform the authorities anyway. The constable whom I spoke with told me that this was the third or fourth case of vehicle battery theft in the area. So I do hope they act on this quickly.

Meanwhile, I had to purchase a new battery for the Zen. I also got a new lockset added and am planning to install an Ajjas tracking system and kill switch. As we all know, the safety of our vehicles is of paramount importance. The last thing any of us want is for our cars or bikes to get stolen and end up abandoned or disappear forever.

https://www.mid-day.com/mumbai/mumba...mahim-23398046

Here is a link from Mid-Day that I found today, describing the same situation. I seriously do not doubt that the same culprit stole my battery, considering it was parked very close to where the people mentioned in the article had parked their vehicles.

https://www.mid-day.com/mumbai/mumba...-chor-23401419

Seems like the culprit was identified yesterday. Maybe it is the same guy or his accomplices that are going around town creating this ruckus. I decided to show this article to the police and they said they would look into it asap.

So that's about what I happened to face a few days ago. Everyone here has probably at some point or the other as it's technically nothing new. However, I still decided to pen down a thread for the same to alert the forum about this series of robberies and ensure that everyone takes special care of their rides, especially if they are older and easier to break into, like my Zen. Also alert the authorities, no matter however small the robbery maybe. It may just work in your favour.

Stay Safe everyone !
BeemerBug.