Car theft rampant: 188 vehicles stolen in Sarajevo in three months

In the first three months of this year, 188 motor vehicles were stolen in the Canton Sarajevo area, of which 64 were recovered, and owners themselves found 28 vehicles, writes the BH news agency Patria.

29 vehicles were returned by the police of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Canton Sarajevo, three by the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Republika Srpska, and two each by other Ministries of Internal Affairs and with financial compensation.

Compared to the same period in 2015, there was an increase in the number of stolen vehicles by 22. The highest number of car thefts occurred in the municipality of Novi Grad with 59, followed by Stari Grad with 53, Novo Sarajevo with 44, Ilidža with 29, and Vogošća with 3.

Official reports have been filed against 17 individuals to the competent prosecutor's office due to grounds for suspicion that they participated in the commission of motor vehicle theft in the Canton Sarajevo area.

It is an open secret that stolen vehicles in the KS area end up in the territory of RS Lukavica, Sokolac, and Pale. As Patria learns from well-informed sources, after the theft, the thieves themselves call the owners and demand money for the return of the expensive car. If the owner refuses, the car is quickly dismantled into parts that are then resold.

The last SIPA operation, Bavarac, was carried out at the end of January 2016, when four people were arrested for car crime in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Three people were from Brčko and one from Pale. Searches were conducted at locations in Brčko District, as well as one location in Istočno Sarajevo.