Textile city Kovai turns vehicle theft city

COIMBATORE: For the second successive year, the textile city of Coimbatore has earned the dubious distinction of registering the highest number of cases of vehicle theft in a police district in the State.The Crime in India 2010 report released by the National Crime Records Bureau reveals that the highest number of vehicle thefts among seven mega city police districts in Tamil Nadu was reported from Coimbatore. Even in 2009, the city had topped in the automobile theft category.The seven mega city police districts in the State are Chennai, Chennai Suburban (now merged), Coimbatore, Madurai, Salem, Tirunelveli and Tiruchi.According to the report, during 2010, as many as 497 cases of automobile theft were registered in Coimbatore. This figure excludes 171 vehicle thefts in the Coimbatore Rural police district. Interestingly, motorcycles and scooters constituted over 95 per cent of the stolen automobiles in the city. While 475 two-wheelers were stolen, cars, taxis and jeeps accounted for only 22 missing vehicles last year.Madurai came a distant second with 269 cases, followed by Chennai City (234) and Chennai Suburban with 139 vehicle thefts. Tirunelveli had the lowest number of registered vehicle theft cases (83). However, compared to 2009, when 608 vehicles were reported stolen, the number of automobile theft cases has come down in the Coimbatore.The data also revealed that the city also remains to be a key hub for circulating counterfeit currency. As many as 30 cases of counterfeiting were registered in Coimbatore, just one short of Madurai. Chennai City topped this category with 72 cases.The highest number of cases under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act in Tamil Nadu was registered in Coimbatore. While 14 cases were registered under the Act in the district, in Chennai the number was only eight and in Madurai it was four. Another worrying aspect that emerged from the report was that cases of molestation were increasing in Coimbatore. Compared to 21 cases of molestation registered in 2009, the figure had increased to 35 last year.