‘Microdots’ to help curb vehicle thefts

New Delhi: The Delhi government’s home department is looking at a “microdot technology” to curb incidents of motor vehicle thefts in the city, an official said.

In a meeting in August, Delhi lieutenant- governor Anil Baijal had instructed authorities to explore the provision of making installation of various safety devices like anti-vehicle theft equipment a “mandatory condition” for registration of vehicles in the national capital.

This year, till August 15, 27,780 cases of motor vehicle thefts were reported. The official said the Delhi government is looking at various technologies to curb motor vehicle thefts, one among them is the “microdot technology”.

The technology is being used in countries like South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Chile, Taiwan, Canada, the US and the European Union (EU), among others.

Microdots are nano size particles in unique shapes having a covert marking and unique numbers, the official said.The use of marking vehicles with microdots is called Whole of Vehicle Marking (WoVM) and the technology is being used world over to prevent and reduce motor vehicle thefts, the official added.

“Under the WoVM, thousands of metal microdots having unique IDs are marked on vehicles. The unique ID of microdots are linked with the registration number of the vehicles,” he said.

Since each part of the vehicle is linked to the registration number of the vehicle, even if the vehicle is dismantled, it can be traced back to its owner, he added.