Cars thieves no longer need to flee with your vehicle to make a living. All they need to do is steal the "brain" of the car — a small, easily removable part called the Engine Control Module (ECM) — which will practically paralyze your vehicle and will cost you a few thousands to replace.

Police stations across the Capital and NCR are recording a surge in the number of complaints of ECM theft, given the ease with which thieves can make away with the equipment.

"ECMs are fitted in every car. In some SUVs, they are fitted below the dashboard of the vehicle, from where it is difficult to steal. But in small cars, they are fitted just in front of the passenger seat. If a thief manages to open the door of the car, he just has to unscrew two bolts and steal the equipment," said an auto expert.

Car dealers say in the past few months, demand for ECM replacement has gone up. "We have been receiving several complaints of ECM theft. As they are very costly, we do not stock them. We had to order from the company following the increase in demand," said an official of Sikand and Company at Janpath. "Cases of ECM theft have increased over the past few months," agrees Sushil Kumar, an engineer at D D Motors, Okhla.

"ECMs are an important component of the car and once they are removed, the car cannot start. You will have to ask for a crane to take your car from one place to another," said Anil Kumar, a service adviser with Sikand. " A small car's ECM will cost you minimum Rs 15,000 and rates are higher for SUVs."

Not even a burglar alarm could save Jayesh Sahni of Noida. "I had parked my car outside my house in Sector 50. My car — a Maruti Swift — had an anti-theft alarm system but it did not work as the burglar did not open the doors of the car. He just removed the rear quarter window, lowered the rear door window, then the front door window and took away the ECM. I have now applied for insurance," said Sahni.

Ankur Prakash, on the other hand, had his car lock broken. The executive had parked his car near Link House in ITO. "When I tried to start my car, the ignition did not work. Later, the on-road service men told me that the ECM had been stolen. Strangely, the burglars had left behind my music system which was lying in the car," said Prakash.

Cops say stolen ECMs are sold mosty at Kashmere Gate, Jama Masjid in central Delhi and Mayapuri in south west Delhi, the hubs of second-hand car parts. Car thieves make anything between Rs 2,000 and Rs 4,000 depending upon the use. Second-hand ECMs cost between Rs 5000 and Rs 7000. "The worst hit are Maruti 800 models and other small cars which can be easily opened," said a police officer.

Insurance companies too notice the trend. A surveyor who refused to be named said, "I have been surveying at least two cases of ECM theft per day on an average. Companies normally reimburse only 50% of the amount."

The easiest way to secure an ECM is to get it installed at a point that is not easy to access even if the car door is unlocked. "Another option is to get the ECM welded," said a mechanic at one of a private garage at Connaught Place.

As recent as this week, four cases of ECM theft were reported at I P Estate but only two cases were registered. The IP estate area has recorded 65 cases of car theft till October this year, compared to 30 last year during the same period. "It shows an increase of more than 100% in cases of car thefts. The problem ismainly due to proximity of this place with Old Delhi markets of Kashmere Gate and Jama Masjid," said an officer. Vehicle thefts across the Capital too have also shot up this year. "Till October this year, 7,991 cases of vehicle theft were reported, over 7,425 last year," said an official of Anti-Auto Theft Squad of Delhi Police.