Is Your Car Stolen? Pray God That Police Never Finds It!


Thread Starter #1
Joined
Feb 15, 2010
Messages
4,700
Likes
523
Location
Bengaluru
Here is one interesting article: Is your car stolen? Pray to God the police never find it.

My friend’s wife was recently the victim of a chain snatching incident when she was out for an evening walk. Fortunately for her the gold chain around her neck broke and fell on the ground and the thief tried to escape without the chain. She raised an alarm and managed to get the thief nabbed with the assistance of the passersby. Her first reaction afterwards was to let bygones be bygones (since she clearly had not suffered any loss) and the thief had also been thrashed by the on lookers. But as a good citizen she decided to lodge an official police complaint.
That’s when the trouble began!
The police arrived a good 30 minutes later and took the thief to the police station and requested my friend’s wife to accompany them. She went and lodged a complaint and the process took about 3-4 hours to complete. To make it worse the police asked her to hand over the broken chain as “evidence” for the case which would be returned to her after the case was over. She was very reluctant but had no choice so she handed it over to the police. It took 3-4 personal visits to the police station and a good 6 months before the chain was finally restored to her.
Incidentally my friend’s wife discovered that the police had claimed credit for nabbing the chain snatcher and had even been awarded by Mumbai’s police commissioner.
You must be wondering why am I writing about this incident in a column devoted to personal finance?

I will connect up as to why the archaic and inefficient judicial/police system results in situations in the personal finance arena as well, that would be comic if they were not so tragic. A friend bought the case of Ravi Kant to my notice. Ravi’s car was stolen from below his house and he filed an FIR with the police and then made a claim with the insurance company for the loss. Only then he realized he would have to produce a “not traceable” certificate which the police issues only around 3 months after the loss is reported to them and they are still not able to trace the vehicle. The insurance claim is payable only after the “not traceable” certificate is submitted.

In Ravi’s case the vehicle was (un)fortunately traced. It had been used for a crime and then abandoned in a faraway city. He had to take a few days leave and visit the police station where the recovered vehicle was kept to give evidence. Ravi had to do a couple of rounds with the police station and then told that his car was “evidence” in the case against the criminals. He had the insurance company send a surveyor to inspect the vehicle for any loss but the vehicle was in an okay condition. The vehicle has been gathering dust in the police station compound for quite a few months even as I am writing this article. Of course there is no chance of the insurance company paying him anything and he has had to take a car loan to buy a new car. Now Ravi is cursing his Bad luck” that the police actually found his stolen car”. If they had not found it he would have been paid the claim by the Insurance Company and would not have to go through so many hassles. Now he will get back the car after it has depreciated substantially.

Clearly a criminal judicial system that requires stolen items to be kept as “evidence’ till the case reaches a certain level must change or we will continue to have law abiding citizens wishing that the police are not able to trace their stolen car!

Source:Is your car stolen? Pray to God the police never find it - Yahoo! India Finance
 
Joined
Nov 19, 2011
Messages
3,309
Likes
696
Location
Sydney / Mumbai
If I would have been in his place, I would have already lost hope of my car getting back any sooner. When our judiciary system takes 4 years to judge Kasab as culprit, where CCTV camera shows it was he, where numbers of cops and people lost their lifes [anger]. Then what chance do we stand for small robbery case to get resolved sooner.

I just feel pity for us Indians.[cry]
 
Joined
Sep 22, 2009
Messages
6,377
Likes
489
Location
NYC
Nice share Mukesh. Somehow i couldnt relate the first story to the second. As for Ravi, i wish his car would have remained un-traced for some more time.

BTW. the case is same in accidents too. I have seen a lots of exotics rotting at police stations. Although more often, the number of cars involved in accidents is more compared to those involved in theft cases.
 
Joined
Sep 26, 2012
Messages
91
Likes
3
Location
Noida
My car was stolen November last year (Thankfully not recovered yet). The process I have gone through to get all the relevant documents required by the Insurance company is extremely painful and I used contacts and spent time & money (around 20K) as a bribe to everyone involved in the processing of the FIR, FR to get the claim of 1.45K.

So in either condition whether your car recovered or not you are the only one who suffers at most!!![frustration]
 
Joined
Feb 10, 2012
Messages
5,939
Likes
213
Location
bangalore
What happens if the stolen car is recovered after the insurance company has paid money to the owner of the car?
 
Joined
Nov 19, 2011
Messages
3,309
Likes
696
Location
Sydney / Mumbai
What happens if the stolen car is recovered after the insurance company has paid money to the owner of the car?
Insurance company will pay money to owner only after cops give "Not found" certificate. and if the vehicle is found after that then cop will us eit for their personal purpose. [lol]
 
Joined
Sep 26, 2012
Messages
91
Likes
3
Location
Noida
In my case, the insurance was from the 'NEW INDIA INSURANCE' company. I signed the indemnity deed,which says - (Extract from the deed)

8. I hereby further agree and undertake that in the event of the stolen vehicle and/or its parts or accessories being recovered, I undertake to accept and take delivery of the same and the claim shall be readjusted on the correct basis of the then loss/damage and in the event of any refund proving to be due to the underwriter on demand to make such refund to you. The underwriter shall however have the option to sell, transfer or dispose of the vehicle and/or its parts or accessories, if recovered, acting for and on my behalf by virtue of the power of attorney hereby granted, without further reference to me.

So it is totally on the discretion of the insurance company what decision they will take
 
Joined
Feb 7, 2011
Messages
1,415
Likes
677
Location
payangadi
if you visit any police station/ excise department offices in kerala there will be lots of vehicles rotting away. its a national loss and its high time the govt did some thing to prevent it.i gather these vehicles are auctioned off after the cases are fiished by which time they would all have become scrap. another thing is that many things in the vehicles are stolen by the custodians themselves. ( like batteries, horns, ice etc )
 
Joined
Feb 8, 2011
Messages
3,863
Likes
1,169
Location
Chennai
if you visit any police station/ excise department offices in kerala there will be lots of vehicles rotting away. its a national loss and its high time the govt did some thing to prevent it.i gather these vehicles are auctioned off after the cases are fiished by which time they would all have become scrap. another thing is that many things in the vehicles are stolen by the custodians themselves. ( like batteries, horns, ice etc )
This is not only in Kerala my dear friend, but every where. In my area's police station where the vehicles are submerged into earth since it was there for years together. Nobody bothers.

And near my office, I can see a fantastic [Modified] honda city is being turned into scrap.
 
Joined
Aug 24, 2011
Messages
2,638
Likes
187
Location
Pune
If I would have been in his place, I would have already lost hope of my car getting back any sooner. When our judiciary system takes 4 years to judge Kasab as culprit, where CCTV camera shows it was he, where numbers of cops and people lost their lifes . Then what chance do we stand for small robbery case to get resolved sooner.

I just feel pity for us Indians.
That's because most of the laws are made by criminals. [anger]
 
Joined
Feb 3, 2012
Messages
1,436
Likes
100
Location
Ghaziabad
My friend’s wife was recently the victim of a chain snatching incident when she was out for an evening walk...
Let me open up the brighter side. After reading this incident, I was happy. In chain snatching cases you know whats worse- the cops already know the snatchers! They get regular hafta from local goons and the systems works fine both ways.
But in this case, if the snatchers have been nabbed, and the cops have been awarded, it shows some improvement. Doesn't it?
Another thing, the gold chain appreciated in police custody like any other gold item in the market, it was returned back safe. I think this case isn't a bad example of the system.

Ravi’s car was stolen from below his house and he filed an FIR with the police and then made a claim with the insurance company for the loss.
Now this is a bad one. My sympathies with the owner.
So, does it mean that Ravi will have to continue paying for the installments of the car even when in custody? (assuming the stolen car was taken on loan)
 

350Z

Core Team
Joined
Aug 10, 2009
Messages
21,187
Likes
7,835
Location
New Delhi
What happens if the stolen car is recovered after the insurance company has paid money to the owner of the car?
Insurance company will pay money to owner only after cops give "Not found" certificate. and if the vehicle is found after that then cop will us eit for their personal purpose.
Now that I’m this situation, I think I can answer better. The car is legally transferred on the name of insurance firm once the claim is paid to the actual car owner.

Drive Safe,
350Z
 
Joined
Sep 26, 2012
Messages
91
Likes
3
Location
Noida
Also, court gives the final report(FR) and not the police which is required to submitted to finalize the claim.

Police submit the records in the court after 3 months that they are unable to track the stolen vehicle. On this court approved the application. You need to be present along with your advocate in the court.
 

Top Bottom