1,074 stolen vehicles recovered by AVLC returned to their owners

During a media briefing at the Anti-Vehicle Lifting Cell’s (AVLC) headquarters in Sharifabad on Saturday, Karachi’s police chief Jawed Alam Odho handed over more than 1,000 motorbikes and cars to their respective legal owners.

Additional Inspector General of Police (Addl IGP) Odho, who chaired the briefing, told the media persons that the purpose of calling the media talk was to inform everyone about the performance of the Karachi police, especially the AVLC.

He said that after their untiring days and nights’ efforts, the cell busted major gangs of vehicle lifters and recovered hundreds of stolen or snatched cars and motorbikes.

He also said that during their raids in different parts of the city, the officials of the AVLC recovered 965 motorbikes and 109 cars that were stolen or snatched from different localities of the city.

The recovered cars included Toyota Corolla, Daihatsu Cuore, Suzuki Mehran, Suzuki Cultus, Honda City, Revo, and Vigo heavy dumper and water tanker, while the recovered motorbikes were of different brands, and all of these recovered vehicles were handed over to their legal owners.

Addl IGP Odho said that since January this year, the AVLC has recovered 2,808 motorbikes and 427 cars, and arrested more than 3,800 suspects involved in vehicle lifting.

He said the AVLC works for the entire Sindh, and sometimes they have to go to the interior parts of the province and sometimes to Balochistan to arrest vehicle lifters and recover stolen vehicles.

Moreover, added the police chief, incidents of car theft have decreased. He, however, admitted that motorbike theft is the biggest problem after mobile phone snatching.

He explained that motorbike theft is often caused by the negligence of the vehicle owners, as sometimes there is a problem with the lock and sometimes with the number plate. He hoped that more work will be done to further tighten the hot spot areas to stop vehicle theft.

He requested citizens to ensure an inspection before purchasing a vehicle because inspection has many advantages. As it has been witnessed in many cases, he lamented, it comes to light after buying a vehicle that it has either been reported as stolen or has a problem with the chassis.

So, he stressed, before buying a vehicle, citizens must ensure an inspection through a free facility at the AVLC office or at local police stations. The verification application is also available at police station level, he clarified.

Regarding house robberies and other crimes, Odho said that before hiring an employee, citizens must verify their details from the police station concerned because it has been witnessed in many cases that employees are responsible for the crimes.

On the occasion, the city police chief also made the announcement of awarding certificates of commendation and cash prizes to the AVLC teams responsible for recovering the stolen vehicles.