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Old 22nd January 2014, 13:56   #31
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Re: Briefcase theft from my Car. Rear window broken!

Sorry to hear of your loss.

My dad had a similar experience, in Noida. He was in his office cab (diesel Altis) and at a red light, someone on a bike came forward and said that the car is spewing oil in the front. My dad advised the cabbie to continue driving, since he wasn't too far from home. However, at the next red light, 2 more bikers (more 'genuine' looking) came up and said that there is oil dripping, and your car may catch fire.

The cabbie stopped the car and both my dad and the cabbie got down. It would not have been more than 30 secs, but someone stole his laptop bag from the car. My dad and the driver immediately realised that they had been fooled. Oil was literally thrown onto the bonnet and grille from outside - nothing was coming out of the engine. The bag had an expensive laptop (top of the line Vaio) and a few important business documents - but nothing that would alter our lives significantly.

Now comes the interesting part - my dad applied some pressure on the police through the admin guy in his company. Since he is at a senior post in one of the larger companies with multiple offices in Noida, the admin guy did have some local influence. Magically(!), the admin guy received a call 2 days later from someone who claimed to have 'found the bag lying by the road'. He sent someone to retrieve it from the caller, who sent a contract labourer to hand over the bag... Everything was intact, except a notebook with inconsequential notes. The police feigned complete ignorance in this entire deal.

In summary - the local police is hand in glove with these local goons. If you have some way of exercising influence on the police, and they see a potential for this to get out of hand, you have a real good chance of getting your documents back.

Try and find some such contact in your circle, and press this fact to the police asap. All the best!
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Old 22nd January 2014, 14:36   #32
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Re: Briefcase theft from my Car. Rear window broken!

Quote:
Originally Posted by sansvk View Post
Keep valuables in the passengers foot-well or underneath the passengers seat (some cars do utilise that space).


If I have to leave behind important stuff (documents, cash, house keys etc.) even for a short while, I always place the items under the rear passenger's floor mat, and under the front seat area so it's not too obvious.

When carrying cash or jewelry over a longer distance, the spare wheel well is a superb spot. Just make sure there's no rust & holes in there
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Old 22nd January 2014, 15:41   #33
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Re: Briefcase theft from my Car. Rear window broken!

General rule of thumb is - it is probably a good idea to keep any bags or items out of sight or in the boot.

Often a thief might not even know what is in a bag and may break a window just because something is visible.

In such event, though you may not lose anything of value, but you still have the headache and expense of fixing your car and recovering from the trauma!
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Old 22nd January 2014, 17:10   #34
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Re: Briefcase theft from my Car. Rear window broken!

Sad to see the car like this and sorry about the loss. This kind of thing happens quite frequently here. Last year the exact same thing happned to my dad when he parked his getz for a few minutes in a busy street to buy an aftershave lotion from a shop. The good thing was that his briefcase contained only important papers but no cash or cards. Interestingly, we got the bag and papers back. The thief, failing to find anything useful for him had dumped the open briefcase in a bus and with dad's name and number written on it, the good driver of the bus did contact us, and we got it back. Net loss was the repair for the broken window and few articles worth max 5k bucks.
We had informed the police meanwhile and they said this is quite common these days, mostly the thieves make off with laptops. After that incident I never keep a laptop or briefcase lying on the seat on a parked car.
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Old 22nd January 2014, 17:21   #35
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Re: Briefcase theft from my Car. Rear window broken!

Same thing happened with me in Pune where someone broke the rear quarter glass of my car and made off with a bag which unfortunately contained some jewellery, a Samsung S3 and a wallet containing cards, license, pan etc. This happened in an area where police patrolling was being done at that very moment. We lodged an FIR at the local police station and left as it was around 10 pm. Next day we visited the police station again to collect the FIR copy and surprisingly got a call from another police station that they have found the wallet containing the cards, license etc. from a footpath in another part of the city and we can come to that police station to collect it. There was no sign of the jewellery or phone however. What are the odds that your wallet is located in a busy market place just 12 hours after it was stolen? As usual, we were told that the police will contact us if there is any more information on the jewellery or phone. they said they have put the phone on tracking. It's been 2-3 months now and I have almost given up hope.
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Old 22nd January 2014, 18:56   #36
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Re: Briefcase theft from my Car. Rear window broken!

Sad to hear this case. These kind of thieving gangs are on the look out for easy victims. They target cars, which are self driven, with only the driver, well to do drivers (not the college going kinds, who may be driving their parent's car), who carries an office bag, laptop bag or briefcase, usually stored on the rear seat.

I also feel, it may be a crime of opportunity, that is , the puncture may have occurred separately and the thief seeing the car unoccupied used a brick for a quick smash in and get away.

I cant understand how the thief withdrew money from the ATM using your stolen credit/debit cards, unless he knew the PIN in the first place. AFAIK both type of cards require pin for money transactions.

Good that you blocked your cards, and limited the financial damage, however please get a duplicate copy made of your licenses, RC books etc and also inform the police of the theft, so that they can put your license etc on tracking. Do this ASAP, remember that thief gangs can use your license for wrong doings, etc driving off with a car, using the document for getting other documents, throwing it in a crime scene etc.
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Old 22nd January 2014, 23:19   #37
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Re: Briefcase theft from my Car. Rear window broken!

Sorry to read about the theft. More than the money part, it is the head-ache of dealing with the bureaucratic authorities is what is more painful. (Of course practically speaking, money part pinches, but then money will come in sooner or later. The documents are more precious.). Let's hope you get your documents back quickly. From the police, it's hard to expect any help, unless you know someone higher in the food chain, who can pull the strings. I always feel this strange helplessness when I see the police and the situation around us today .
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Old 22nd January 2014, 23:27   #38
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Re: Briefcase theft from my Car. Rear window broken!

Nowadays it is all too common. Another aspect you could look at is the junction where your dad was warned about the puncture. Usually they have traffic cams installed and perhaps identity of the thief or his vehicle could be revealed.
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Old 23rd January 2014, 12:28   #39
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Re: Briefcase theft from my Car. Rear window broken!

When the car is locked and someone tries to break the glass, won't the alarm be triggered?

Car-alarm Window and Pressure Sensors

*
*A lot of the time, car thieves who are in a hurry don't mess around with disabling locks to get into a car: They just bust a window. A fully equipped car alarm system has a device that senses this intrusion.
The most common glass-breakage detector is a simple microphone connected to the brain. Microphones measure variations in air-pressure fluctuation and convert this pattern into a fluctuating electrical current. Breaking glass has its own distinctive sound frequency (pattern of air-pressure fluctuations). The microphone converts this to an electrical current of that particular frequency, which it sends to the brain.


Read full article below.



http://auto.howstuffworks.com/car-alarm3.htm


I am curious to know which Indian cars have this alarm.

Last edited by gavinimurthy : 23rd January 2014 at 12:35.
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Old 23rd January 2014, 13:58   #40
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Re: Briefcase theft from my Car. Rear window broken!

Quote:
Originally Posted by PGNarain View Post
you can obtain footage of the respective ATMs and try to ascertain identity. However, this too is in the ambit of the Police as no bank will give you the in ATM footage.
Quote:
Originally Posted by bluevolt View Post
the thieves also withdrawn cash - Rs. 7500 (the max limit of dad's credit card limit for the day) in two three instalments from two ATMs (Rs 5000 from one ATM near mukarba chowk and Rs 2500 from Wazirpur ATM).
Cash Withdrawal Limit: Best feature to prevent huge loss before we lock accounts.

ATM Footage: ATMs indeed have a camera in their machines as well as the rooms. These cameras record only when there is a movement (i.e a person entering the room and accessing ATM machine). Generally each bank keeps the history of footage for as long as 3 or more months. I can say this because I was part of a company that sells these security surveillance s/w to ATM manufacturers.
Sometime back my debit card was stolen and money withdrawn. I lodged an FIR and submitted a copy to the bank. A Police constable also accompanied us to the bank (as banks generally refuse to give footage unless and until directed by police). I was shown the video footage and given print out of the image. We found the person to be one of our maids and nabbed to get back belongings.
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Old 23rd January 2014, 16:32   #41
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Re: Briefcase theft from my Car. Rear window broken!

One of my colleagues friend had a similar incident with his swift here in Bangalore. But a little hitech. It was during last diwali when the person went to purchase crackers at Hosur ( its Tamilnadu's border city with Karnataka and where crackers are far more cheaper than in bangalore). So he was there after office hours at around 7-8pm. Had parked his car in an un-lit area away from the shop due to the rush and parking restrictions. His laptop bag was in the back seat. When he came back, there was a small clean circular hole in one of the front windows. As the cut was on the glass the security alarms also didnt go off. The thief, it seems, put his hand in through the hole, pulled opened the locks and stole the laptop bag and some other things from the car. Mostly the thief could have been flashing light inside each car and saw the laptop bag in this car. With all the crackers blasting around, the noise of the glass cutter could also have been drowned.

After hearing this incident, I am always wary parking the car anywhere out in the dark. And I have also made it a practice to place the bags on the floor or under the dash area in the front passenger side, so that it is not easily visible from outside. Boot is not a feasible option as I have an SUV.

Like home security systems, cars also should have security all around including the windows, front and back glasses, quarter glasses, sun roof, fuel lid etc.

FundaG
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Old 23rd January 2014, 16:56   #42
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Re: Briefcase theft from my Car. Rear window broken!

Its sad to hear such incidents do happen. I can actually imagine the plight of bluevolt and his father. Even in Mumbai we have such freak incidents happening. There have been few such incidents which have happened to my friends/relatives:

1. Similar to Bluevolt my colleague lost his laptop
Modus operandi:
Rear window glass broken and office laptop stolen when my colleague went to buy something.
Mistake: My friend left his laptop bag on the rear seat easily visible and inviting the thief
Location: Dmart Thane Mumbai
Time taken: 5-6 mins
2. Smoke from Car
Modus operandi:
While driving his car, first a biker told my friend that smoke is coming from his car. Within a minute or two a cab driver told him and at the next signal a pedestrian told him. In the 3rd instance he believed and got down to see. Within seconds his cellphone was gone which was kept on the non driver seat of his car
Mistake: Know your car. See all the gauges first. When you get down to see the bonet collect your belongings and even lock your car (as a human tendency we do forget to do that but make it a habit)
Location: LBS marg near R-city mall
Time taken: Seconds after he got down to check
3. Minor accident
Modus operandi:
At a busy signal or in heavy traffic a small kid will come to sell something (some toy or peanuts or books), you may slide down the window glass to check the goods he is selling and just a the same time some cycle or bike will bang your car from behind or at your right. As an instant reaction, you will look towards the impact and get agitated. Taking a chance the kid will flick your cellphone from your door pocket or dashboard. Two friends and one cousin lost their cellphones
Mistake: Dont keep your cellphones accessible to outsiders. Avoid buying at signals and keep your cool during minor accidents (we do have insurance to take car of the damage)
Location: Western express highway (Oberoi signal) and Times of India flyover.
Time taken: Few seconds

Few dos and donts on your incident:

1. Never keep anything on seats which act as an invitation to such thieves. Always carry your stuff along while leaving the car or lock it in the boot where it is not visible.
2. Immediately block all debit cards, credit cards, report loss of cheque books, etc. to the banks.
3. Please report to police about the incident and loss of RC book, license etc to avoid any further misuse or issues to you. FIR with police will be a proof that you have reported the theft to the authorities.
4. Never keep cellphones on places which are easily accessible to outsiders like door pockets, dashboard, non driver seat. you can keep it near your handbrake etc.
5. Ensure you lock your doors well. Also keep the cabin lights in door open mode (this will help you realise is someone quietly opens your door in noisy areas)


These are just precautions; best is to keep your cool and be alert.
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Old 23rd January 2014, 23:19   #43
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Re: Briefcase theft from my Car. Rear window broken!

Quote:
Originally Posted by NPV View Post
Sorry to hear about the incident.
Not sure if you already had this done - please call the bank(s) and issue stop payment advices for the lost cheques just to make sure they aren't used for any transactions.
You can get duplicates for all other documents but will have to spend some time on the procedures/processes.

I'm sure you've already done this but just want to call it out - for your reference, make a complete list of all things that were lost, will help track and avoid nasty surprises later especially any documents, cards, etc.
All previously issued cheque books have been scraped and new ones will be mailed to us in few days. Thankfully the thieves could not make any wrong use of cheque books till this job was done. My dad already got new passbooks and issued request for his duplicate Govt ID card, CGHS card etc.

License & RC work will be done later next week as he will be out of station for few days.

We have made a list of all lost documents and cards for our reference as well.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Octane_Power View Post
bluevolt, the solace here is that the thieves didn't harm your dad.
In such incidences more than the money, the documents lost pinch more.
I really hope you get all your documents back much sooner, given the efficiency of our Government departments.

-Bhargav
Exactly, in such situations they can do anything so thank god for all his grace. We are not concerned much about money, personal safety is of prime importance.

Quote:
Originally Posted by vb-san View Post
More than courage, it could be the confidence they’ve in our public – that no one will really bother or care to stop and act against the crime.
Only positive here is that they did not harm your dad physically.
That's what is also very surprising for us. All this happened on a main road near red light where traffic speed was not more than 20-30 KMPH. Someone must have seen all this happening but no one really bothers.

Quote:
Originally Posted by vibbs View Post
Gosh!! Bluevolt, I don't know what to say. Glad that no physical harm was done to your dad.

Being someone who was born and brought up in Delhi, it pains to see the level it has reached now. I hope our law enforcement wakes up and provides basic security to the people atleast in public places. If these people have the guts to carry out something like this in the busy streets of our capital, I shudder to think how safe are we in our homes.
As our CM recently said in a press statement that Delhi's people security is in god's hand, Delhi police is here just for formality or for VIP people.

Quote:
Originally Posted by ambivalent_98 View Post
Bluevolt this is indeed very unfortunate. It is a bold robbery especially in daylight.

I had heard of this MO of thieves many years ago. Seems with more and more transparency in cars windows thieves can just look in and break in.

When the Fiats and Ambys ruled the road. I have myself seen a couple of instances after the thieves made away with the stereo (a cassette player + radio which was a valuable asset of yesteryear) , and everything in the Fiat by simply slicing the windshield rubber away and honestly keeping that on the side without breaking it.
.
These incidents are not new. They just have different forms. I still remember an incident of year 1998-1999 in which a neighbour brand new Matiz's all four wheels & tyres were stolen and the car was left on bricks!

Similar theft were so easy in Maruti 800s where thieves used to remove the rubber beading of rear quarter glass and unlock the car and steal stereo/battery and even car if there luck worked.

Quote:
Originally Posted by rajwheelz View Post
In my opinion, it should not be a serious concern. Nevertheless, you should keep the police station ( under whose jurisdiction your residence falls ) informed so that they can keep an eye out.

I diligently & rather strictly ( to the irritation of many people ), enforce the rule that not even a single small plastic bag be left out in the car even if all it contains is a penny's worth of trinkets.

So, Rule 1: Do not tempt the satan

Rule 2: Do not get diverted by stranger's claims that you have a puncture,or you have a dent. If you have to inspect, ensure you park safely, take out all the valuables with you, lock the car with emergency lights on and then inspect.

Rule 3: If driving alone, never stop at desolate places, unless absolutely necessary
One more mistake from our part was that my dad was driving with ORVMs closed and the thieves took advantage of this opportunity by deliberately puncturing the LHS rear tyre by pushing some pointed object in the side wall and my dad could not sense all this happening at one of the red lights before the incident place.

Quote:
Originally Posted by girimajiananth View Post
Is it possible that someone could have been observing your movement for a long time ? Any leads from the police so far ?
Could be. My dad was actually commuting back on exactly same time for past one week - same car, same route and same briefcase on rear seat visible from outside.

Today I have inquired the exact ATMs from where money was withdrawn and passed on this detail to the SI handling my case. He will transfer a request to concerned banks to preserve and provide the CCTV footage for the specified time. Let's see what all they do.

Quote:
Originally Posted by nitinbose View Post
Such incidents are becoming very rampant. The best option is to never pay any attention to this. Instead we should only stop the car at a safe location, preferably a police station or known shops.

We should also keep our windows rolled up and all the doors locked at all times. I have seen several people drive with their windows rolled down, lucrative to thieves!
It's also very important to lock all four doors manually as soon as you start off if your car is not equipped with automatic lock doors.

Quote:
Originally Posted by geronimo View Post


In summary - the local police is hand in glove with these local goons. If you have some way of exercising influence on the police, and they see a potential for this to get out of hand, you have a real good chance of getting your documents back.

Try and find some such contact in your circle, and press this fact to the police asap. All the best!
You are right. Had this all happened with a VIP, police would have done some 'real' investigations and found the thieves or at least documents. Influential connections do work but we don't have such contacts with Delhi Police dept.


Quote:
Originally Posted by GTO View Post
When carrying cash or jewelry over a longer distance, the spare wheel well is a superb spot. Just make sure there's no rust & holes in there
In some cars like i10 the spare wheel well space is used by the tool kit enclosure though in Honda City there is lots of space for storing such stuff and then covering it with a cloth or any similar thing.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Fusion2006 View Post
General rule of thumb is - it is probably a good idea to keep any bags or items out of sight or in the boot.

Often a thief might not even know what is in a bag and may break a window just because something is visible.

In such event, though you may not lose anything of value, but you still have the headache and expense of fixing your car and recovering from the trauma!
+1. More than the financial loss, the harassment due to all this really pinches and spoils one's mood for many days and make one a bit extra cautious every time.

Quote:
Originally Posted by pyrodrive View Post
Sad to see the car like this and sorry about the loss. This kind of thing happens quite frequently here. Last year the exact same thing happned to my dad when he parked his getz for a few minutes in a busy street to buy an aftershave lotion from a shop. The good thing was that his briefcase contained only important papers but no cash or cards. Interestingly, we got the bag and papers back. The thief, failing to find anything useful for him had dumped the open briefcase in a bus and with dad's name and number written on it, the good driver of the bus did contact us, and we got it back.
Had it been a wallet containg few hundred rupees and documents like RC/DL then there could have chances of thief throwing it off at some place after taking out cash. But in my case, chances of documents return are very bleak. Still I am hoping to get them back.

Quote:
Originally Posted by aviraj View Post
Same thing happened with me in Pune where someone broke the rear quarter glass of my car and made off with a bag which unfortunately contained some jewellery, a Samsung S3 and a wallet containing cards, license, pan etc.It's been 2-3 months now and I have almost given up hope.
Problem is that the police do not take such cases very seriously. You find yourself lucky to at least have FIR easily filled, leave rest things like finding stuff or catching the culprits!

Quote:
Originally Posted by apachelongbow View Post
Sad to hear this case. These kind of thieving gangs are on the look out for easy victims. They target cars, which are self driven, with only the driver, well to do drivers (not the college going kinds, who may be driving their parent's car), who carries an office bag, laptop bag or briefcase, usually stored on the rear seat.

I also feel, it may be a crime of opportunity, that is , the puncture may have occurred separately and the thief seeing the car unoccupied used a brick for a quick smash in and get away.

I cant understand how the thief withdrew money from the ATM using your stolen credit/debit cards, unless he knew the PIN in the first place. AFAIK both type of cards require pin for money transactions.

Good that you blocked your cards, and limited the financial damage, however please get a duplicate copy made of your licenses, RC books etc and also inform the police of the theft, so that they can put your license etc on tracking. Do this ASAP, remember that thief gangs can use your license for wrong doings, etc driving off with a car, using the document for getting other documents, throwing it in a crime scene etc.
This was indeed a plan & organised theft and that too planned & executed in very quick & planned manner. Tyre's side wall was chosen for puncturing it as it is quite easy to do so.

All details regarding DL/RC theft is stated in FIR and that will serve as safeguard against any future issues. I don't know why but my dad's credit card did not require PIN to have transactions at petrol pumps & malls. Since we never withdrew money using credit card, we are not sure if that card required pin or not (issued in 2010).

Quote:
Originally Posted by W.A.G.7 View Post
Sorry to read about the theft. More than the money part, it is the head-ache of dealing with the bureaucratic authorities is what is more painful. (Of course practically speaking, money part pinches, but then money will come in sooner or later. The documents are more precious.). Let's hope you get your documents back quickly. From the police, it's hard to expect any help, unless you know someone higher in the food chain, who can pull the strings. I always feel this strange helplessness when I see the police and the situation around us today .
Documents like Govt IDs, CGHS cards, bank passbooks & cheque books will be easily made.

RC/DL will require a bit running around so we are planning to seek an agent's help.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Dhanan View Post
Nowadays it is all too common. Another aspect you could look at is the junction where your dad was warned about the puncture. Usually they have traffic cams installed and perhaps identity of the thief or his vehicle could be revealed.
That's all possible if the police is willing to look seriously into the matter which is not the case as usual.

Quote:
Originally Posted by gavinimurthy View Post
When the car is locked and someone tries to break the glass, won't the alarm be triggered?
I am curious to know which Indian cars have this alarm.
Even if a car is equipped with such alarms, that still will not prevent theft. The thieves do this very quickly so a siren setting off is not of much use as in crowded place it won't even be heard.

Quote:
Originally Posted by BusyBoyKK View Post
Cash Withdrawal Limit: Best feature to prevent huge loss before we lock accounts.

ATM Footage: ATMs indeed have a camera in their machines as well as the rooms. These cameras record only when there is a movement (i.e a person entering the room and accessing ATM machine). Generally each bank keeps the history of footage for as long as 3 or more months. I can say this because I was part of a company that sells these security surveillance s/w to ATM manufacturers.
Sometime back my debit card was stolen and money withdrawn. I lodged an FIR and submitted a copy to the bank. A Police constable also accompanied us to the bank (as banks generally refuse to give footage unless and until directed by police). I was shown the video footage and given print out of the image. We found the person to be one of our maids and nabbed to get back belongings.
My dad's credit card has cash withdraw limit of only Rs.7500 and the thieves are away with that.

Police will send request to concerned banks to preserve and provide cctv footage most probably by tomorrow.

Quote:
Originally Posted by fundagenie View Post
One of my colleagues friend had a similar incident with his swift here in Bangalore. But a little hitech.
Like home security systems, cars also should have security all around including the windows, front and back glasses, quarter glasses, sun roof, fuel lid etc.

FundaG
While such security systems are helpful they still can't prevent the theft. Breaking a window and getting away with the stuff like bag can be done within a minute by professionals.

Quote:
Originally Posted by tejas.negandhi View Post
Its sad to hear such incidents do happen. I can actually imagine the plight of bluevolt and his father.

Few dos and donts on your incident:

1. Never keep anything on seats which act as an invitation to such thieves. Always carry your stuff along while leaving the car or lock it in the boot where it is not visible.
2. Immediately block all debit cards, credit cards, report loss of cheque books, etc. to the banks.
3. Please report to police about the incident and loss of RC book, license etc to avoid any further misuse or issues to you. FIR with police will be a proof that you have reported the theft to the authorities.
4. Never keep cellphones on places which are easily accessible to outsiders like door pockets, dashboard, non driver seat. you can keep it near your handbrake etc.
5. Ensure you lock your doors well. Also keep the cabin lights in door open mode (this will help you realise is someone quietly opens your door in noisy areas)


These are just precautions; best is to keep your cool and be alert.
Our family has learnt lot of lessons from this incident. We will take all possible care in future and even advise all of you to also take precautions to avoid such incidents.

Last edited by bluevolt : 23rd January 2014 at 23:26.
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Old 24th January 2014, 11:35   #44
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Re: Briefcase theft from my Car. Rear window broken!

seems like no end to such break-ins...

This happened to more than a year back on the ring road near Hebbal lake garden in North Bangalore.

Police not ready to register a FIR not even ready to accept written complaint

Big lesson learnt and since I don't leave anything in my Scorpio, if forced to I ensure I keep it under the back bench seat away from direct sight. Sedans have an advantage with the boot.
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Old 24th January 2014, 12:40   #45
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Re: Briefcase theft from my Car. Rear window broken!

Quote:
Originally Posted by bluevolt View Post
Attachment 1194983

The incident happened with us this evening while my dad was returning to home from office in our Honda City. He ply on this route for the past twenty years and today we experienced this strange theft incident. Here is how all happened.

My dad's office route is from rohini to civil lines & vice versa. He usually keeps his briefcase on the rear seat along with water bottles. Today while he was returning from the office around 5 PM, some one must have seen his briefcase on the rear seat at some red light at sant nagar or near jahangirpuri. Later at the next red light someone punctured the LHS rear tyre by tearing it by some sharp object. After driving for around 500 meters, a biker approached my dad's car and told that the tyre is punctured. My dad continued driving for further 500 meters as he didn't noticed the puncture and he was further approached by a white color car and was told that the car is punctured which indeed was the case when he stepped out and checked the car.

After parking on road side some 200 meters before the Shalimar Bagh/Sector-18/jail road red light (It has passport office and several car showrooms on the other side where construction work is going on) my dad walked to a tyre puncture guy situated some 50 meters away from the place. As he came back with a puncture guy after five-seven minutes what he saw shocked him and caused us a financial loss of around one lakh rupees + several important documents.

The RHS rear passenger window was thrashed by a brick and the briefcase was stolen. Briefcase contained 70-80 thousand cash along with several important documents like insurance policies, CGHS cards, Cheque books, Passbooks & wallet containing his government identity cards, original driving license, original RC of our City, Voter ID, PAN card and several other documents. By the time he could call the bank and lock the credit/debit cards, Just after 5-10 minutes, the thieves also withdrawn cash - Rs. 7500 (the max limit of dad's credit card limit for the day) in two three instalments from two ATMs (Rs 5000 from one ATM near mukarba chowk and Rs 2500 from Wazirpur ATM).

My dad called PCR and registered the FIR - formal copy they will give tomorrow from the police station. By that time I also locked all cards and changed internet banking passwords but the thieves have done with their job by then. After all policing formalities, i got the spare tyre replaced and came back home and parked the car adjacent to my house's boundary wall and covered it. The puncture guy told be that since there is a small pierce cut in the side wall, this tyre has to be converted to tube type tyre for regular use - is that fine?

Now what all I can do?

I have lost the original RC of my car, dad's original driving license, insurance policy and other documents. Though I have insurance policy on mail and photocopy of my dad's old driving license which was valid upto october 2013.

Is there any hope of getting the documents back? I am not much concerned about the cash as its sure that will not be coming back.

How to reapply for Duplicate RC? I even don't have photocopy of RC/driving license at home, all were in the briefcase.

Where to approach? My local RTO or the place from where car was registered (DL-4C -> janakpuri). Can ring road Honda - from where i purchased my car be of any help with respect to issuance of duplicate RC?

How police is going to help me? I know its our mistake - my dad should not have left the car alone with the briefcase on the rear seat but my dad says someone must had his eye on the brief case at a red light and from where that thieves gang got active and performed the theft by deliberately puncturing the car and confusing the owner by all this. This must be a job of some gang active on outer ring road!

Also what will be the cost of the RHS rear passenger window glass? Does breaking of glass caused any damage to the power window mechanism?

My one more concern is that the documents have our photos and home/office addresses and those thieves have now our addresses also!

Please guide.
Similar incident happened with my X boss. He was coming from Netaji Subhash Place area towards Dhaula Kuan. What happened, As soon as he started from the first red light a biker approached and signalled that there is something wrong with the tyre. Since the car was driven by his driver, they parked at roadside to inspect.
As soon as they both got off the vehicle to inspect the condition of tyre, another fellow came by asking them some address. Since the car had central locking and when they got off, all the doors were unlocked. In just a matter of few seconds rather than minutes, the fellow asking about the address starts running and when my boss realized whats happening, the bag on the rear seat was gone. He was really shocked as to what happened. The bag had a laptop and other documents.
He called up PCR and registered a complaint, but when the police was behaving as least bothered. He made few phone calls to few people in Media he knew. Luckily within 6 hours, his bag was traced with everything intact.
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