Honda Fit most stolen car model
Lesedi Mkhutshwa | Friday May 3, 2019 13:10
He said that BPS has recorded an increase in motor vehicle theft since the beginning of this year as compared to the same period last year.
He said that the criminals target Honda Fit, Toyota Runx and Hilux parked in their respective homes at night. Morapedi said that since the beginning of this year to March they have registered a total of 20 cars in the No: 1 and 15 districts. Thirteen vehicles were actually stolen in the policing area of No: 15 district and one was falsified, whereas seven vehicles for No: 1 district were also stolen. He indicated that last year in the same period they recorded six stolen motor vehicles in No: 1 district and none for No: 15 district, which still calls for concern on the increased levels of motor vehicle theft.
He disclosed that nationally cars that are stolen in large numbers are recorded in No: 13 district, which covers Mogoditshane village and surrounding areas. Morapedi added that since the beginning of this year they have registered reports of 23 stolen motor vehicles in No: 13 district of which 18 were actually stolen and seven falsified.
He also said that No: 13 district which covers south central including Mogoditshane is leading in all the quarters between last year and the first quarter of this year. When speaking about the cars stolen during the first quarter of 2019, Morapedi said that a total of 65 motor vehicles were actually stolen around the country. He said that they have managed to recover 36 cars and 29 vehicles are still at large. He further said that the most stolen motor vehicle model is Honda Fit with 14 cars actually stolen, four recovered and 10 still missing.
Morapedi added that Toyota Runx ranks in second position with 10 of the motor vehicles actually stolen and six retrieved and four at large followed by Toyota Hilux D4D, in which seven were actually stolen and two recovered.
He said that three Toyota Land Cruisers were actually stolen and they did not redeem any of them and other motor vehicles, which are also targeted; including Toyota corolla, tractors and motorbikes.
In comparison to all quarters in 2018, Morapedi said that a total of 48 Honda Fit cars were actually stolen, 25 recovered and 23 are still at large, 40 Toyota Corolla were reported stolen and 21 of them were retrieved with 19 still missing.
He added that 12 Land Cruisers were actually stolen and five were recovered and seven are at large, 23 Toyota Hilux were reported stolen of which 14 were recovered and nine are still at large. Morapedi added that most of the stolen cars have been recovered and the police are still working around the clock by following the leads of the missing ones. He raised a concern that they have realised that some of the cars go through ungazetted points of entry, for instance they received a report about two stolen cars (Toyota Land Cruiser and Hilux) from No: 15 district and leads of the missing cars pointed to Mbalambi village, which is a few kilometers away from the Botswana-Zimbabwe borderline.
“We traced the stolen cars and it seemed that the criminals trafficked them through Mbalambi village to the Zimbabwean border,” he said.
He said that within a week after the report the police on patrol along Mbalambi village intercepted another Toyota Hilux, which was about to be trafficked by the perpetrators, and they failed to arrest them after they fled.
Morapedi said that they worked with a surveillance team in March and they managed to arraign Zimbabweans in relations to Honda Fit theft crimes. He said that since the Zimbabweans were arrested the motor vehicle theft has decreased in No: 15 district. He said that the investigations have proven that the Zimbabwean criminals bring their number plates, road licences, and scanned registration books and chassis numbers.
Morapedi further said that the perpetrators bring their own Vehicle Identification Number (VIN), which matches the registration book information and engine number.
“After stealing the Honda Fit or any other motor vehicle they quickly change the Botswana plate number to Zimbabwean, and the new buyer will be given matching drivers licence attached to the registration book. The criminals tamper with the VIN by wielding it and mending it with a new one,” he said. He suspects that there is a lucrative market for stolen cars in Zimbabwe.
Morapedi said that most of the motor vehicles are stolen in homes at night when the owners are clinging to the car keys unlike other sister countries where cars are stolen due to hijacking.
He said that the remedy to car theft is for the owners to purchase anti theft devices such as tracking devices and steering or gear locks.
He said that they are fighting against car theft through public education and bilateral relations with sovereign countries through Interpol.
Mbalambi village leader, Kgosi Bernard Mbalambi raised concern over the trafficking of stolen motor vehicles along the Botswana-Zimbabwe border through his village.
He suspected that his village has become a gateway to trafficking stolen motor vehicles to neighbouring Zimbabwe. Mbalambi said that they have reported the issue to the police and they have started their patrols along his village to fight the criminals.