Mumbai:
Imported luxury cars are losing their luster as Mumbai's crime sheet adds a new kind of car crook who steals car monograms and logos.
Investigations reveal that stolen, authentic logos - complete with chrome layering - of luxury car models Mercedes-Benz, Volkswagen and Jaguar, are freely available at incredulously low prices (Rs 150 or lower) at grey markets like Chor Bazaar, Kurla CST and Sion Koliwada in Mumbai.
"Two well-dressed teenagers were caught red-handed while stealing a Mercedes logo in Khar just a few days ago. We also found a bag of stolen logos. They escaped and no police complaint was made," said Parmeet Singh Sahani, automobile spare part dealer.
Keith D'Souza, sales manager with a Mercedes sales outlet in the city, said, "Some youngsters recently walked into our showroom wanting to sell a bagful of our logos. They were obviously not entertained."
Aditya Nadar, assistant sales manager, Arya Honda, added that his clients now insist that the logos on their new cars be affixed with superglue, making it tough to detach in one piece, thus rendering it of no resale value to thieves.
"Even Tata owners like us are not spared. Monograms from two of my personal cars were stolen recently," said Stavan Oza, service team leader of Skoda. Nitin Dossa of Western India Automobile Association wishes that the police take stricter, deterrent action against offenders.
Car owners replace their stolen accessories by procuring the same from dubious sellers, thus creating a never-ending vicious circle of illegitimate demand and supply.
Besides, logos are no longer easily available. Marketing professional Deanne Rodriques, whose Toyota Altis logo has been stolen twice, once from Kalina and then from Sion, within a span of less than a month, confessed to having purchased a dozen cheap, imitation logos from Koliwada, since original ones were too expensive.
Investigations reveal that stolen, authentic logos - complete with chrome layering - of luxury car models Mercedes-Benz, Volkswagen and Jaguar, are freely available at incredulously low prices (Rs 150 or lower) at grey markets like Chor Bazaar, Kurla CST and Sion Koliwada in Mumbai.
"Two well-dressed teenagers were caught red-handed while stealing a Mercedes logo in Khar just a few days ago. We also found a bag of stolen logos. They escaped and no police complaint was made," said Parmeet Singh Sahani, automobile spare part dealer.
Keith D'Souza, sales manager with a Mercedes sales outlet in the city, said, "Some youngsters recently walked into our showroom wanting to sell a bagful of our logos. They were obviously not entertained."
Aditya Nadar, assistant sales manager, Arya Honda, added that his clients now insist that the logos on their new cars be affixed with superglue, making it tough to detach in one piece, thus rendering it of no resale value to thieves.
"Even Tata owners like us are not spared. Monograms from two of my personal cars were stolen recently," said Stavan Oza, service team leader of Skoda. Nitin Dossa of Western India Automobile Association wishes that the police take stricter, deterrent action against offenders.
Car owners replace their stolen accessories by procuring the same from dubious sellers, thus creating a never-ending vicious circle of illegitimate demand and supply.
Besides, logos are no longer easily available. Marketing professional Deanne Rodriques, whose Toyota Altis logo has been stolen twice, once from Kalina and then from Sion, within a span of less than a month, confessed to having purchased a dozen cheap, imitation logos from Koliwada, since original ones were too expensive.
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