demonstrating Car theft in 2 minutes - amazing technology !!

In India, Motor Insurance is tariffed business – though Insurers now are offering huge discounts.  The parameters of rating for a private car, largely are : the Sum Insured, which is known as ‘Insured’s Declared Value’[IDV] – on which % rates are calculated, depending upon - Cubic Capacity, age of the vehicle, and Geographical zone. 

In the proposal form, details such as Make and model of the vehicle, the Registering authority, the type of fuel, the purpose of usage, where it is being parked, average monthly mileage etc., are collected – though they may not impact the premium rating presently.  As Insurers contemplate technical pricing, more aspects like the age of the driver, the colour of the car, the driving habits,  occupation, past traffic violations, marital status and the like could be used in differentiating the policy holder and for rating purposes….

An anti-theft system is any device or method used to prevent or deter the unauthorized appropriation of items considered valuable. Theft is one of the most common and oldest criminal behaviours. From the invention of the first lock and key to the introduction of RFID tags and biometric identification, anti-theft systems have evolved to match the introduction of new inventions to society and the resulting theft of them by others. Most modern day high end vehicles come with good anti-theft devices installed.  Some have it installed on their own upon taking delivery. 

Car insurers consider customers who have anti-theft devices installed in their vehicles to be responsible car owners; as such, they reward these owners through discounts on their insurance premium. From the safety angle and from insurance perspective, such devices must be approved by the Automobile Research Association of India (ARAI). The Automotive Research Association of India ( ARAI ) has been playing a crucial role in assuring safe, less polluting and more efficient vehicles. ARAI provides technical expertise in R & D, testing, certification, homologation and framing of vehicle regulations.

There are some which attract a thief more – luxury cars are one.  They fetch a good price either as a whole or when broken down into components, in the grey market, a car is also optimum for a fast getaway.  Recently a notorious car thief was nabbed attempting to unlock a Tata Sumo in Royapuram. The neighbours chased and nabbed him and a case of attempted theft under section 379 of IPC was filed by the Royapuram police. It carries a maximum imprisonment of three years.

It is reported that the accused was a drop out from Vizag who began working as a cleaner in a hotel and got into stealing cars.  Reportedly his debut was a Tata Sumo near Sirkali and then set out on a spree of robberies across the State focussing on SUVs.  He was released from Puzhal prison on bail only a fortnight ago but again tried his luck.

In another instance, Policemen were stunned by the efficiency of car thieves SarfrazNawas and Mohan Kumar who gave them a demo on how they can steal a car in two minutes flat. The duo were arrested on recently  for stealing 22 cars, 14 of them Tata Indicas.Nawas showed how a quarter glass on the rear of an Indica can be pulled out and through the hole the car can be opened. His accomplice, meanwhile, snapped the cable connected to the car's burglar alarm. “In two minutes, they could open a locked car and drive away ,“ an officer is quoted as saying reports Times of India. 

Police said Nawas, 33, a resident of Kolathur, turned a petty thief after Class 10. An Anna Nagar police team detained Nawas under the Goondas Act in 2013, and he came out of jail on March 19 this year. The team led by the Aminjikarai police inspector PeriyaPandian nabbed Nawas and Kumar when they were travelling in a stolen car during a vehicle check in Shenoy Nagar on Thursday .Nawas, who is a habitual car thief, and his accomplice had stolen more than 50 brand new cars, most of them registered in 2015. They sold the cars for Rs50,000 to Rs1 lakh to people who would take the vehicles to other states for resale.

Nawas and Kumar enacted the operation for police. While Nawas worked a sharp object to tear off the rubber beading and remove the glass, Kumar ran his hand under the trunk and snapped the cable that triggers the alarm. No sooner had Nawas opened a rear door after dropping his hand through the quarter pane, Kumar opened the front door and slipped into the driver's seat to remove screws under the steering.Connecting two electrical cables, he ignited the engine.“An officer was running a speed watch on his mobile phone. He found that the duo completed the task in 118 seconds,“ said the policeman.“They worked for a gang that gave them specific assignments. We are trying to trace these people,“ said a police officer. Nawas and Kumar were remanded in judicial custody.

~and that should give jitters for some car owners who park their cars out on the streets ….. and also negates the concept of discount provided by Insurers for ‘anti-theft’ devices being a feature that would prevent thefts !!

With regards – S. Sampathkumar

29^th July 2015.