Mysuru: Motorists whose cars refuse to start in the morning could be victims of the latest trend – fuel theft. City residents are reporting a small but rising number of fuel thefts, predominantly from cars that have been parked in front of houses. Rising fuel costs could also be one of the reasons for the crime.

Thieves typically steal fuel by cutting through fuel lines, smashing open fuel caps, removing petrol tanks or, in some cases, drilling into the fuel tanks and pumping out the contents. Cars, SUVs and 4x4s, are particularly vulnerable because they are higher off the ground, giving easier access, and they have bigger fuel tanks.

Star of Mysore received many calls from the residents of Vijayanagar who complained that petrol is being stolen from their cars that have been parked outside their homes. One of the residents said that he heard a sound in the middle of night yesterday and when he woke up he found two persons stealing petrol from his Maruti 800.

“Spotting the thief I rushed out and seeing me, the thieves escaped in the dark. They, however, abandoned the bottle that was used to draw petrol from my car,”  he told SOM.

Other residents told this newspaper that even bikes are not spared. Compared to cars, stealing petrol from bikes is easy. Vijayanagar inspector Anil, however, denied such incidents. He said that no case has come to his notice and action will be taken if he receives a complaint.