Delhi authorities put the city on alert on Monday after reports surfaced that a car bearing an army sticker had been stolen. The vehicle, a white Santro belonging to Dr Colonel Shailendra Singh of the Indian Army, carried a Defence Services Officers’ Institute sticker. It was reported missing from Delhi’s Lodhi Road on Sunday afternoon.

Police said the area, which French President Francois Hollande and External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj are scheduled to visit on Monday, did not have either patrolling security officers or CCTV cameras. They have sounded an alert across districts and briefed police in neighbouring states too. The car could not been traced till late Sunday evening.

The Delhi police had issued a similar security alert on Friday, after a taxi hired by three unknown people in Pathankot went missing and the driver of the Alto was found dead in Kangra, Himachal Pradesh. Security in the national capital has been heightened to prepare for Republic Day celebrations. IANS reported that 1,000 snipers and 49,000 security personnel will be deployed. Delhi will be monitored through 15,000 CCTV cameras as well.