NEW DELHI: In the past week, Delhi Police has registered over 200 FIRs under a new section in the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita specifically for thefts who deals with vehicles, the punishment for vehicle theft now increased to seven years, police officers are acting quickly to implement it. They visit the theft location immediately after the crime is reported, film the scene, and upload their reports on the police app as a e-pramaan.
Last week, it was reported that vehicle theft FIRs would be filed under Section 305-B of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. Previously, vehicle theft was treated as ‘theft’ under Section 379 of the Indian Penal Code, which had a maximum punishment of three years. A few years back, police launched an app for registering vehicle theft cases as E-FIRs, allowing people to get an unfound report within about 30 days to claim insurance. However, this system stopped immediate investigations, leading to rise in theft cases.
With the help of new laws in place, police are visiting theft locations right away, filming the crime scene, and registering cases as E-FIRs. The SHO assigns investigating officers at the police station level, which is expected to improve results on the ground. In the beginning, some vehicle theft cases were mistakenly registered under Section 303 (general theft), but this has been corrected, and now such cases are being filed under Section 305-B.
Each district has filed around 12-15 FIRs in the past week. From July 1 to July 7, 113 cases were registered in the North East, East, and Shahdara districts. The West district reported 17 cases, Southwest 16, South 13, Outer North 13, and North eight. Other districts in the city reported over 50 cases in total.
An officer mentioned that videography is mandatory not only at the crime scene but also during the search of suspects and seizure of vehicles. “The police team will film the entire process of checking the vehicle and the driver. This ensures that the accused cannot claim that the evidence was planted or tampered with. We have conducted multiple training sessions for the cops, especially those working night shifts, on videography,” the officer added.
