January 16, 2008	Wednesday	Muharram 06, 1429

KARACHI, Jan 15: Incidents of snatching and stealing of motorcycles increased by 43 per cent during 2007 as 10,086 bikes were taken away across the city, while the number of stolen bikes was 7,025 in 2006.

Figures collated by Dawn from the police and the Citizens-Police Liaison Committee (CPLC), show that the recovery of stolen and snatched bikes also declined during the year under review to 25 per cent from 29 per cent in 2006.

Saddar Town stood first in incidents of bike lifting as 1,871 motorcycles were taken away in different parts of the town. Jamshed Town was second with 920 taken away, followed by Gulshan-i-Iqbal (895 bikes), New Karachi (712), Clifton (686), North Nazimabad (667), Liaquatabad (608), Shah Faisal (474), Korangi (443), Lyari (442), Gadap (325), Site (312), Orangi (294), Landhi (289), Malir (233), Baldia (144) and Keamari (139).

Meanwhile, figures showed there was a negligible increase in the incidence of carjacking as 5,120 automobiles were taken away in 2007 compared to 5,081 in 2006.

The recovery rate of stolen vehicles showed an upward trend to 47.5 per cent in 2007 from 45.4 per cent in 2006.

CPLC chief Sharfuddin Memon said more and more cars equipped with tracking devices were coming on to the roads.

“Now the vehicle thieves have switched over to bike lifting from carjacking as it is far easier to dismantle and transport a bike than a car,” he added

He said certain companies dealing in tracking devices were also working to devise a tracker for bikes. “However, so far they are not able to come up with a method to install a tracking device on a bike,” he added.

During the year under review, as many as 1,564 of the total 5,120 cars taken away were snatched at gunpoint. Only 706 of the carjacked vehicles were recovered. The share of stolen cars was 3,556, with only 1,726 vehicles being recovered.

Police insiders said most of the recovered vehicles were those abandoned by the culprits in different parts of the city after using them in other offences.

Gulshan-i-Iqbal Town stood first in the incidents of carjacking as 1,009 automobiles were either stolen or snatched at gunpoint in parts of the town, also comprising the vicinity of Gulistan-i-Jauhar.

The second most volatile town was Clifton where 692 vehicles were taken, followed by Jamshed Town (645), North Nazimabad (557), Gulberg (516), Shah Faisal (423), Saddar (378), Liaquatabad (156), Gadap (99), New Karachi (90), Bin Qasim (87), Korangi (83), Site (80), Landhi (56), Keamari (49), Malir (48), Baldia (31), Lyari (26) and Orangi (24).