How to Report a Stolen Car in Pakistan and Get the FIR

If your car is stolen or snatched in Pakistan, call 15, the police emergency number, straight away. Then go to the police station for the area and have an FIR registered. In Karachi and the rest of Sindh, also call the Citizens Police Liaison Committee (CPLC) on 1102. Those three steps put your car on the stolen vehicle records the police check.

Speed matters most in the first hour, while the car may still be on the road. We read the CPLC's own steps for a stolen vehicle, Punjab Police's pages for its Khidmat Markaz centres and its stolen vehicle database, the Code of Criminal Procedure, and the duplicate registration rules from Excise in Punjab and Sindh. This is what to do, in order.

Report a stolen car in the first hour

Call 15 first and give the registration number, make, colour and the exact place. The control room can pass the details to patrols at once. In Sindh, call CPLC on 1102 as well. Then go to the police station that covers the spot where the car was taken.

1. Call 15 from the spot. Say whether the car was stolen while parked or snatched at gunpoint, and which way it went if you saw.
2. In Sindh, call CPLC. Its 24 hour helplines are 1102, 021-35662222 and 021-35682222. CPLC asks for at least the registration number, make, colour and place of the incident.
3. Gather your papers. Your original CNIC, the registration book or smart card, or a copy, and the chassis and engine numbers if you have them.
4. Go to the police station. Ask for an FIR, the First Information Report, which starts a criminal case. Read it before you sign.
5. Keep a copy of the FIR. You will need it for insurance, a duplicate registration card and any later release of the car.
6. Tell your insurer and your tracker company, if you have them, the same day.

CPLC says it passes the report to the Police Control for broadcast. Once the police confirm it, the car is entered in CPLC's stolen vehicle database. The same database is what a buyer is checked against later.

Get the FIR registered at the police station

Car theft is a cognizable offence, so the police must write down your report. Section 154 of the Code of Criminal Procedure says the officer in charge must put the information in writing, read it back to you and have you sign it. If the police refuse, you can complain to a Justice of the Peace.

A cognizable offence is one where the police can act and arrest without first asking a court. Theft and snatching both fall in that group. Give the date, time, place, the car's details and the names of any witnesses. Do not exaggerate or guess who did it. A wrong detail in the FIR is hard to change later.

If the station will not register the case, section 22-A(6) of the Code lets an ex-officio Justice of the Peace direct the police on a complaint about non-registration of a criminal case. In each district, the Sessions Judge and any Additional Sessions Judge nominated for it act as Justices of the Peace. A lawyer can help you file it.

The same law applies to a stolen phone, though phones are blocked through a separate PTA system.

Where to report in each province

Police 15 works across the country. Sindh adds CPLC, which runs a stolen vehicle database and helps with recovered cars. Punjab adds its Police Khidmat Markaz centres, where a crime report is free, and a provincewide stolen vehicle system linked to Excise.

In Punjab, the Police Khidmat Markaz takes a written crime report with your CNIC for free, in about 15 to 20 minutes. It sends the report to the right police station, where an investigating officer follows it up. A copy of an FIR is also free there if you give the FIR number and the police station.

Punjab Police says its Anti Vehicle Lifting System (AVLS) keeps one database of stolen and snatched cars for all 36 districts. It is linked to the police station records, Excise and Taxation, and the Punjab Forensic Science Agency. Officers can check a plate on a phone at a checkpoint.

Replace the registration card after a theft

If the registration book or smart card went with the car, you need a duplicate. Excise in Punjab asks for a police report, a copy of your CNIC and, for most vehicles, an updated token tax certificate. Sindh's form asks for the date of the police report and of a newspaper notice.

Punjab Excise's motor vehicle tax page lists a duplicate registration certificate at Rs 500 for cars and motorcycles. Its registration page lists Rs 1,300. Check the amount on the payment slip at the office. The Punjab vehicle smart card process sets out the papers in full.

In Sindh, the application form for a duplicate registration book asks for your CNIC, address, vehicle model, registration and chassis numbers, the reason, the date you reported to the police, and the date and name of the newspaper where you published the loss. So place a small notice in a newspaper before you apply. Sindh's page does not list a fee for a duplicate book.

Get a recovered car released

When police find a stolen car, it is kept in safe custody. If no FIR was registered, CPLC can help release it with a police station letter, your CNIC copy and the registration book copy. If the car is held under an FIR, you first need a court's supardari order and a no objection certificate.

A supardari order is a court order that hands the car back to its owner while the case goes on. You usually agree to keep the car safe and produce it in court if asked. CPLC lists these papers:

• The original letter from the police station
• A copy of your CNIC
• A copy of the registration book, or the police diary (roznamcha) report
• The supardari order and NOC from the court, if the car is held under an FIR

The car's status must then be corrected. CPLC asks for the same three papers to correct or cancel a vehicle's stolen status. If you skip this, the car may still show as stolen, and you could be stopped at a checkpoint or blocked when you sell it.

Check a used car before you buy it

A stolen car can turn up for sale with real-looking papers. Before you pay for a used car in Punjab, get it verified at a Police Khidmat Markaz. It costs Rs 2,000 for a car and Rs 500 for a motorcycle, and takes about 40 minutes. It checks police records and includes a forensic check.

Take your original CNIC, the vehicle's original papers and a copy of the owner's CNIC. If a bank or company owns the car, bring its NOC. In Sindh, CPLC offers its own vehicle verification. We list the working vehicle verification portal for every province, and the steps to transfer vehicle ownership once the car is clear.

Common questions

What number do I call if my car is stolen in Pakistan?

Call 15, the police emergency number. In Karachi and the rest of Sindh, also call CPLC on 1102, 021-35662222 or 021-35682222.

Can the police refuse to register an FIR for a stolen car?

They should not. Theft is a cognizable offence, and section 154 requires the report to be written down. If they refuse, complain to an ex-officio Justice of the Peace under section 22-A.

Can I report a stolen car online?

Not fully. CPLC lists an online complaint form, but it tells people to call its helplines. In Punjab, a Police Khidmat Markaz takes a free crime report in person.

How much does it cost to file a car theft report?

Nothing. An FIR is free, and Punjab's Police Khidmat Markaz lists its crime report and FIR copy services as free.

How do I get my recovered car back?

Without an FIR, bring a police station letter, your CNIC copy and the registration book copy to CPLC. With an FIR, first get a supardari order and NOC from the court.

Do I need a newspaper ad for a duplicate registration book in Sindh?

Yes, in practice. Sindh's application form asks for the date and name of the newspaper where you published the loss.

How we verified this

What we checked, where we read it, and what we could not confirm.

Last checked on 2 October 2026. The CPLC helplines, reporting steps and recovered vehicle papers are from the CPLC Sindh website. The crime report, FIR copy and vehicle verification details are from the Police Khidmat Markaz services page, and the AVLS description from Punjab Police's own page. Sections 154 and 22-A are from the Code of Criminal Procedure 1898 on pakistancode.gov.pk. The duplicate fees are from Excise and Taxation Punjab's motor vehicle tax page, and the Sindh form from excise.gos.pk. We did not report a real theft, so response times are not tested.