Stolen vehicle sales go unabated in Hyderabad

A two-wheeler sans documents is sold for over Rs 25,000 in Hyd, say sources

Hyderabad: Rising prices of two-wheelers and high fares for transporting goods in auto-rickshaws are fuelling the demand for stolen motorcycles and scooters in the city.

According to sources, a motorcycle or scooter without any documents is sold for a price between Rs 15,000 and Rs 25,000 depending on the vehicle model and condition. However, the only thing that the seller will not inform is that the vehicle is stolen.

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Mohd Aamair, a scooter mechanic, said, “The seller will come up with some or other excuse like documents not being readily available or want to mortgage it for medical emergency etc.”

The police detection teams were taken aback when thieves, mostly juveniles, told they travel to other districts or neighbouring States like Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Maharashtra to steal motorcycles and scooters, and sell them in the city or vice-versa.

“We found some gangs regularly buy the stolen property from thieves at throwaway price and sell them through others. The profit margin is Rs 8,000 to Rs 10,000,” an official of Hyderabad Commissioner’s Task Force said.

The stolen vehicles are used by the people to commute in the city, hoodwinking the police by avoiding the main thoroughfares. “In certain cases, these vehicles are used to transport PDS rice or illegally slaughtered animal meat. In case the police catch them for illegal activities, the vehicle is seized and it does mean much loss to the person,” said a mechanic on condition of anonymity.

The sale of such stolen vehicles is rampant in Tallabkatta, Falaknuma Vattepally, Fatimanagar, Hassannagar, Singareni Colony, Teegalkunta, Shaheennagar, Ghousenagar, Borabanda and a few other slum areas. In the city with close to 90 lakh vehicles, identifying and tracking down a stolen vehicle is a tough task.

In case the traffic police stop a vehicle without proper number plates or documents, they seize it and allow the rider to go away, pointed out Asif Amjed, a social activist, adding, “Instead, the person should be detained and questioned about the source of the vehicle.”