Noida/Ghaziabad: While gated societies are considered a symbol of security, now the same societies are emerging as the safest haven for stolen vehicles in NCR. Yes… in the last few months, cars stolen from Delhi, Gurugram, Ghaziabad and Lucknow have been found parked in society parking lots, not just for a week or two, but for months.
Last month, a suspicious Honda Jazz car was seen in T&T Homes Society located in Siddharth Vihar, Ghaziabad, which did not have the society’s sticker on it. When residents and guards investigated and tried to trace the owner of the car, a person named Vijay told that the car was stolen from a Delhi parking lot, which was parked here. It was seen in the CCTV footage that some unknown youth brought the car to the society, parked it in a corner, changed clothes and left from there.
Police admitted that this was not the first case. Recent records show that in Delhi, Gurgaon, Ghaziabad and even Lucknow, stolen vehicles are often found parked in the basements of residential towers for weeks or months without any investigation. Many of these vehicles are also used in crimes like robbery or chain snatching. These dust-covered vehicles are caught only when a resident raises suspicion.
Old stickers and weak systems are becoming a threat
According to a senior police officer,
Due to hundreds of flats and constant movement, it becomes easy to bring in stolen vehicles. Thieves put old stickers and no one checks the car for months. Not only this, misuse of digital entry system, old parking records and lack of proper verification of tenants, all these have further increased this problem.
Indirapuram RWA President Rajeev Kumar admitted,
In societies with more than 1,000 flats, RWAs are often unable to update parking records. In such a situation, it is very difficult to find out which vehicle belongs to whom. Despite using apps like My Gate and No Broker Hood, vehicle records are not updated on time. Many times the old sticker remains active even after selling the car.
Bhupendra Nath, AOA member of SG Grand in Raj Nagar Extension, said, “A car sold months ago can still have access to the society’s space as the old sticker has not been cancelled. The verification of tenants is also not done properly, which makes it difficult to track who is actually the owner of which vehicle.
In one case, thieves used a car parked in the society’s parking lot for robbery after three months. The residents and security personnel did not even realize this. However, now after this matter has come to light, the police in Noida and Ghaziabad said that they are taking swift action on it.
Police started large-scale investigation
According to Noida ADCP Shavy Goyal, local police stations have been instructed to make a list of old, abandoned and suspicious vehicles in all the societies. Old cars and two-wheelers that have been abandoned for a long time will be cross-checked with transport and crime records to verify their ownership and ensure that they have not been used for illegal activities.
Told that special teams comprising beat constables, traffic police and RWA representatives will conduct door-to-door checks, record details of all suspicious vehicles and match them with the official database. He said that any vehicle whose ownership cannot be verified will be confiscated. This drive will start in different phases, starting with the big societies of Central Noida.
Also, it will be extended to Greater Noida West, Industrial Zone and Yamuna Expressway area. Police will also issue a public advisory, in which people will be appealed to report any suspicious or abandoned vehicle.
