It is learnt that a stolen vehicle was used to commit the theft of the ATM of a bank at Usgao. The Omni van was found abandoned at the starting point of the Comba ring road in the jurisdiction of the Fatorda police station. In the past investigators have found that stolen vehicles are often used to commit other crimes. These vehicles are abandoned at isolated places as the thieves try to escape with the booty. It is understood that in Mumbai almost all cases of chain snatching that have been cracked were committed using stolen bikes. According to the Mumbai police those antI-social elements with a criminal record are often involved in theft of vehicles. Auto theft is often the first crime engaged in by juvenile offenders who go on to a career of committing other crimes. Stolen vehicles are often used in burglaries, armed robberies and other crimes. A large number of car thieves are also charged with other crimes, such as arson, drug trafficking, kidnapping, burglary, and fraud. Hence the first step towards apprehending these anti-social elements would be for the police to investigate cases of vehicular theft with all seriousness it deserves. Cracking the case of stolen vehicles will go a long way in preventing other crimes taking place in the society. Those apprehended in vehicular theft cases should also be investigated for other crimes.
