Caught on camera

A CCTV camera captures a proficient car thief at work while stealing the stereo from an SUV in central Delhi

A CCTV camera captures a proficient car thief at work while stealing the stereo from an SUV in central Delhi

Seen Gone in Sixty Seconds? That Nicolas Cage-Angelina Jolie flick where they both were city-slick carjackers? Well if you haven't, in the film, Cage's character, a retired master car thief, comes back to the game and steals 50 cars with his crew in one night to save his brother's life. Well, on Saturday night a CCTV camera installed by a Dev Nagar resident outside his house, captured a high profile carjacker on the job, whose priorities were probably very different from Cage.

Man at work: Visuals of the car thief while stealing the stereo from an SUV in central Delhi

The footage available with MiD DAY shows the man in his early thirties, wearing a T-shirt and jeans, getting off from an Opel Astra. The man parks his car next to a Scorpio. He then breaks into the SUV and steals its stereo. The entire theft was carried out in just 4-5 minutes. Ajay Vinayak, the victim, who installed the camera a few months ago, said, "By the time we woke up, the person had already stolen the system and escaped. Most of the cars in Delhi are parked outside. Despite all efforts, cars and their accessories are frequently stolen.

Keeping all this in mind, I had installed a CCTV camera outside my house. I am not sure if I will get back my stereo but through this initiative I want the Delhi citizens to remain alert. This will definitely help in reducing the

Lost and not found

The recovery rate of stolen cars is dismal as most of them are tampered with and pass hands immediately after the theft. Some cars are even sold off in distant areas like Nepal, J&K and the north east. Many cars are taken to nearby cities from Delhi where each part is dismantled and sold separately. "The recovery rate is less than 25% with fewer than 200 vehicles being recovered last year," said a police official.

crime graph in the city."

The complainant said that the thief was well aware about the area. Though most of the roads are blocked at night, he managed to enter through some side street.

Vinayak has delivered the vital footage to the police. An FIR has been registered at the Prasad Nagar police station. "We have registered a case under section 379 of the Indian Penal Code. We will identify the man soon. Investigations are on," said a senior police official.

Auto theft has become a flourishing industry in Delhi. The number of cases went up from 8110 in 2007 to 9615 in 2008. Even spare parts are not left alone. For instance, the police said they have seen an increase of more than 100% in thefts of engine control module last year.