07 February 2004	Saturday	15 Zilhaj 1424

PESHAWAR, Feb 6: Police detected less number of stolen cars during examination and verification last year as compared to the previous year in 2002, when 75 per cent of a total 1,150 vehicles examined were found to be stolen, sources revealed on Friday.

In 2003, 60 per cent of a total 950 vehicles received for examination were found stolen, the sources said, adding that the decline showed police's failure and modern techniques used by the car-lifters while stealing the vehicles.

After snatching or lifting, the stolen vehicles, are then driven to tribal areas or safest places in settled areas, where they are cut into pieces and the spares are sold in the market.

Sources further revealed that the business of car-lifting had assumed the status of an organised crime and the people involved in the business, had acquired sophisticated devices through which they change the engine and chassis numbers and number plates of the stolen vehicles in such a way that it cannot be detected at the forensic science laboratories of the police department.

"The police laboratory, which is required to check the documents, chassis and engines of the stolen vehicles, do not have the state-of-the-art devices to check the authenticity of the vehicles. The experts faced difficulties in detecting these vehicles properly", said the sources, adding that still the laboratory has been able to detect 75 per cent of the total cars, it received in 2003, as forged.

These vehicles are detected, because of documents, as the engines and chassis numbers are tampered with in an extremely scientific method, which is undetectable at the laboratory.

The car-lifters after snatching the vehicles fill the frames and change chassis sheets by restamping them. They also install cut pieces in the engines and chassis in an scientific method.

Besides, Afghanistan, lucrative markets for these cars exist also in the Provincially Administrated Tribal Area (Pata), owing to non-extension of the Custom Act there. Thus the stolen vehicles are driven to Pata, where they ply on the roads marked as non-custom paid (NCP), from where they can easily be shifted to Afghanistan.

Informed sources said that the people do not have any problem in shifting the stolen vehicles to Afghanistan, because of the long border. Sources said that car-lifting had become the most profitable business after narco-trade the world over. In European countries and Japan, the car-lifters stole 1,000 to 5,000 cars in one go.

The car-lifters have at their disposal foreign-made master keys, that comprised a complete set of 26 keys of different size and shape and are used according to the circumstances.

Sources said that the master key are meant for the rescue organisations, who use it during relief operations in emergency. Even, the government of Pakistan does not have the same key, whereas the mafia involved in the car-lifting had the same device, which had given them upper hand over the government departments responsible for halting the crime.

Sources said that the province was at a disadvantage because of its proximity with the tribal areas. The people, after snatching or lifting the vehicles soon transport them to the tribal belt, where the vehicles are taken apart into pieces and then sold as spares in the markets in Peshawar.

"Shoba bazaar and Kabari bazaars are replete with second hand parts of the vehicles. The people visit these places even from Punjab to buy spares for their vehicles," said sources.