Over 550 vehicles stolen in four months in Bhopal:More than ₹10 crore worth of vehicles vanish every year

Vehicle theft in the state capital has increasingly taken the shape of organized crime, with more than 1,700 vehicles stolen every year. The estimated value of these stolen vehicles exceeds ₹10 crore annually. What is more alarming is that a large number of the stolen vehicles are never recovered. In many cases, the vehicles effectively disappear from the system after the theft and remain beyond the reach of the police. According to Bhopal crime data, an average of 140 to 145 vehicles are stolen every month. Between January and April 2026 alone, 556 vehicles were reported stolen. Nearly 90 percent of them were two-wheelers. If the current trend continues, the number of vehicle thefts is expected to cross 1,700 by the end of the year. Theft losses estimated at over ₹10 crore Considering the average cost of a two-wheeler at around ₹60,000, the estimated value of 1,700 stolen vehicles comes to nearly ₹10.2 crore. Despite several theft hotspots being identified, many of these areas continue to suffer from inadequate police patrolling and poor surveillance arrangements. As a result, victims rarely recover their stolen vehicles. New city areas become easy targets for thieves Vehicle thieves are reportedly most active in several parts of New Bhopal, including Barkheda, ISBT, MP Nagar Zone-1 and Zone-2, TT Nagar, the AIIMS area in Bagsewania, the outer colonies of Katara Hills, and even upscale and crowded localities like Kohefiza. Police sources say thieves are exploiting poor parking management and lack of surveillance in these areas to carry out thefts with ease. More than 200 CCTV cameras non-functional The city had around 1,340 CCTV cameras installed during 2016-17. However, more than 200 cameras are currently non-functional, while several older cameras reportedly provide poor-quality footage. Due to this, police often fail to obtain strong evidence after theft incidents. In many cases, investigators are unable to retrieve usable footage, weakening probes from the very beginning and allowing thieves to escape detection. Stolen bikes being sold in rural areas Police investigations have revealed that most stolen two-wheelers are being sold in rural areas at cheap rates without documentation. In several cases, stolen vehicles are dismantled and their spare parts sold separately, making identification and recovery even more difficult. Questions raised over police priorities Police Commissioner Sanjay Kumar, since taking charge, has largely focused on improving the city’s traffic management. He has conducted inspections at locations such as Vallabh Bhavan Rotary and Jyoti Talkies Square in an effort to streamline traffic movement. However, despite these efforts, traffic conditions in the city remain chaotic, while concerns continue to grow over rising vehicle thefts. Attempts were reportedly made four times to seek the Police Commissioner’s response on the increasing theft incidents, but no reply was received.