[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.

[Axe77]

Thanks for sharing this incident. It would have been great if you could include the specific location pin as well although it seems reasonably specific - near Matunga station on SB Road.

It’s shocking that despite residents having seemingly done much of the work the police is still not doing anything about this. Hopefully the culprit is brought to book asap.

[Rahul Bhalgat]

Good that the car wasn't stolen. Possibly because it is unlikely to find any buyers for 1996 Zen (must be a Carburettor version) or it's parts.

Possibly the thief was a mechanic because he knew which fuel pipe to disconnect.

Was this out of any political rage? Because the owner name is the name of a famous person (a journalist) who is a critic of a powerful political person / party in Maharashtra.

[Jeroen]

Parts theft is rampant in the west! Thief’s know exactly what parts to remove from what car. There is a huge second hand parts market.

Catalytic converters are often targeted, but also airbags would you believe it. In both cases your car would suffer quite some damage too, obviously. And wheels/rims of course.

These days with built in multi purpose screen which does your radio too, radio theft happen rarely. But in the 80-90s, most car had a radio built in. Some were quite fancy, with casettedeck, CD changer and so on. For many years car audio theft was the most reported theft in many countries. I must have had at least 6-7 radios stolen from me, in at least three different countries.

Last one was in 2012. Somebody smashed the window of my Jeep Cherokee whilst parked on our drive in Kansas City, USA and ripped the radio out of the centre console. The radio was a cheap aftermarket costing less than $50. I had to have the window and the center console replaced, which costed about $450!

I had my TomTom stolen from my Jaguar in Kansas City too. Luckily, I had forgotten to lock the car. So the thieves just opened the door and took it without any damage.

That’s the thing with parts theft. The thieves often cause more damage to your car than it will cost to replace those parts. And you are left with the inconvenience.
Jeroen

[Tiago_Boy]

Originally Posted by BeemerBug_06

I decided to talk about this incident on social media

I found an effective solution to the problem. There were two attempts of theft after implementation and none of them worked. Check out my post below -

https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/india...ml#post5637859 (Battery Theft : The new target?)

[NiInJa]

Thankfully nothing else was touched, so a bit relieved. Battery theft was pretty common with Marutis back in the day. There was some loophole which would open the bonnet from outside, can't remember it now. Better to have a padlock clamp as mentioned in the post above.

She is a beautiful car

Luckily, India has not advanced in terms of parts theft yet. In other parts of the world, people steal alloy wheels and catalytic converters which are more expensive.

[silverado]

Originally Posted by NiInJa

people steal alloy wheels and catalytic converters which are more expensive.

Delhi had a gang which used to steal alloys, also Maruti Eeco Van Catalytic converters were also targeted by some gang.

[svsantosh]

You have been watched my friend! Take care!

1) You did not have a remote lock - hence you turned the key/fob to open the door. The guys mostly were right on your trail and knew you did not have a remote lock car. If you had a remote you would have noticed a bit before turning the key on.

2) If you had a loud hooter, there may have been a small deterrent.

I guess it is time to go for a loud all round anti theft system? Doors, bonnet and hood, right?

[GreasyCarb55]

Originally Posted by BeemerBug_06

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.

Yup, a couple of months ago my roommate had the ECM on his Access 125 stolen in Wadala, Mumbai when he street parked it for a couple of hours.

[GeeTee TSI]

On a related note, there is a real danger in leaving laptop bags in the car cabin as that alone can trigger break ins. Preferable to leave them out of sight in the boot notwithstanding the inconvenience.

Coming to this incident, the weakest link seems to have been targeted to salvage something rather than admire the cheerful original Zen.

[BeemerBug_06]

Originally Posted by Axe77

Thanks for sharing this incident. It would have been great if you could include the specific location pin as well although it seems reasonably specific - near Matunga station on SB Road.

It’s shocking that despite residents having seemingly done much of the work the police is still not doing anything about this. Hopefully the culprit is brought to book asap.

The car was parked at Senapati Bapat Marg, adjacent to the railway station wall. Just a few feet away from the overhead bridge of Matunga Road Station. To be more precise, it was right opposite CRK Automobiles.

Originally Posted by Rahul Bhalgat

Was this out of any political rage? Because the owner name is the name of a famous person (a journalist) who is a critic of a powerful political person / party in Maharashtra.

Well this isn't the first time I have been confused with the famous journalist. However, we are not the same people ! So this was surely a case of theft than any political backlash.

Originally Posted by NiInJa

There was some loophole which would open the bonnet from outside, can't remember it now. Better to have a padlock clamp as mentioned in the post above.

She is a beautiful car

Luckily, India has not advanced in terms of parts theft yet. In other parts of the world, people steal alloy wheels and catalytic converters which are more expensive.

The bonnet latch can be accessed from below the right side front wheel. However, in my case, the thief had broken open the LHS front door lock probably with a metal scale and gotten into the car.

Originally Posted by GreasyCarb55

Yup, a couple of months ago my roommate had the ECM on his Access 125 stolen in Wadala, Mumbai when he street parked it for a couple of hours.

Shucks, that's terrible. I heard from someone that the ECU from their Polo was stolen too. Maybe we need to fabricate cages for them as well.

Originally Posted by GeeTee TSI

On a related note, there is a real danger in leaving laptop bags in the car cabin as that alone can trigger break ins. Preferable to leave them out of sight in the boot notwithstanding the inconvenience.

Coming to this incident, the weakest link seems to have been targeted to salvage something rather than admire the cheerful original Zen.

That is indeed true, I had a boss whose laptop bag was stolen from his car. Thankfully, he was lucky enough to recover it with some help from the authorities.

[BeemerBug_06]

Now that a good number of people have viewed and suggested certain measures that one can take to make their car/two wheeler more secure and theft proof, how about we use this thread as a platform to keep each other updated regarding automotive theft around the country, so that it not only helps spread awareness but also ensures the safety of the vehicles and their owners.

Perhaps in case the unfortunate happens with anyone, they can talk about it here and possibly get the best help !

[Nitish.arnold]

I ate momos worth 2 lacs (PUN INTENDED),
When my ex-car Nissan Terrano's Rear RHS window was broken,
& 4 laptops including 2 MacBooks were stolen from it.

This happened in 2018 end,
after office hours while returning with colleagues.
We decided to park for 2 minutes in Noida Sector 137 market for a quick snack.
Mind you, it's not an isolated road, & a Police booth is also just 200 meters away.
In just 5 mins, We came back to this scary scene with glass shattered & spread all over the rear seat & floor of the car.

I was relatively young at that time, & this happened for the 1st time,
so was shell shocked at what to do next.

Never have I ever, put anything valuable in the car again (visible)

[s.sriram1989@gm]

When I was in Delhi, I faced same theft problems in our area. We parked away from home due to space issues. Old cars like Alto and Zen had simple mechanisms and drug addicts used to steal car parts to trade for small cash. Following were learnings I took along with my mechanic:

1. The cable of bonnet can be accessed by sliding hand inside fender of driver side. They pull the cable and dont even need to break into the car. Fender will bend a little, battery was stolen. Solution: My mechanic put a hole away from fender and passed the bonnet cable from there into engine cabin. He also welded the bolts of battery, stating the same has to be cut if required. Usually battery is replaced in 3 years so I didnt mind fixing with welded bolt.

2. They used to open the car with scales or other tools, My mechanic installed a switch connected with fuse box and placed it hidden under passenger seat, If i kept that switch off, the car will crank but not start. It buys more time, hence discourages thief to put more efforts.

3. Gear lock was already installed

4. Once my car's ECM was stolen, its placed above the glove box. I had to purchase another one paying huge amount. Now a days it costs 20k i think. After replacing, I got 2 metal strips welded over ECM so it cannot be taken off unless welding is removed.

Couple of times after doing all above changes they opened my car but could not take anything and left it as it is.