Suzuki vehicles, Honda bikes among most stolen in Islamabad

ISLAMABAD: Islamabad has seen a surge in automobile and motorbike snatching cases in recent months with Suzuki Mehran and Honda 125 being the most stolen vehicles.

According to the police record, in the first five months of this year, as many as 254 automobiles were either snatched or stolen from the federal capital with Suzuki topped the list with 104 vehicles, including 71 Mehrans, followed by Toyota with 76 cars, and Honda with 22.

Earlier, Toyota used to be the favorite brand of car lifters but recent activities have seen Suzuki vehicles, particularly Mehran and Bolan vans, the most achievable targets for the thieves.

According to the reports, the stolen or snatched vehicles are often transported to country mountainous regions.

Furthermore, police stated that Toyota cars are mostly moved to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and rural Punjab because of their ground clearance and high demand.

According to the police report, Honda vehicles are less favorite of car lifters because of their high chance of getting traced. Mostly, stolen Honda vehicles are disassembled or resold after changing their engine and chassis numbers in urban areas.

Motorbike thefts were also significant, with 1,675 motorcycles stolen in the first five months of the year. Honda motorcycles were the most stolen, with over 1,000 bikes, including 642 Honda 125cc, 351 CD-70, nine Honda 100cc, and one Honda 150cc. United motorcycles were the second most stolen, followed by Union Star, Hi-Speed, Yamaha, and Suzuki.

According to police, Honda 125cc is usually transported to Zhob in Balochistan from where they are moved to Afghanistan. However, motorcycles of other companies are usually dismantled and their spare parts are sold in the black market. Some of the stolen bikes are also used in criminal activities. According to police, they also bused a gang of drug dealers who were in the same business of stealing vehicles.