Durban – South Africa’s car theft numbers have grown exponentially in recent years, with criminals adapting to their environment by using technology to steal cars.
In a recent incident, where a video shows a Lexus SUV getting stolen from the parking lot of a shopping complex in Randburg, north of Johannesburg, criminals allegedly gained access using a disabling device.
IOL spoke to the owner of the vehicle, who asked to go by the name Mr X.
On Monday evening, Mr X’s Lexus 570LX was stolen while he was waiting for a friend at a bar in Randburg.
His car was found about 20 minutes after the incident, in the Fairland area, around 15 minutes away from the scene of the crime, by security forces linked to his insurer, Discovery.
Mr X’s SUV is now back in his possession, after he picked it up on Thursday from a police pound.
In the video captured by a CCTV camera, one of the two criminals involved in the theft was seen approaching the passenger side tyre and fiddling for a bit before another suspect jumped in and drove off.
What is rather frightening about the video is the level of composure displayed by the criminals as they carried out the act in perfect synchronisation.
The suspect who drove the SUV away was arrested by police.
But how did they do it?
After speaking to his insurance company and security forces who helped track his vehicle down, Mr X believes the criminals used a disabling device to open the car and scramble its computer settings.
Given that the specific Lexus model SUV operates on a “push to start” system, no key was needed.
Lexus is made by Toyota.
IOL spoke to Mike Bolhuis from SA Safety and Security, a private investigation firm that handles theft and other crimes.
Bolhuis said this was nothing new, adding that Toyota is the most sought-after brand by South African criminals.
“There are many cases. I cannot give an exact figure because they happen daily,” Bolhuis said.
Bolhuis believes that the thefts of high-end luxury vehicles are “ordered” and are generally stolen using high-tech equipment.
The thieves who part take in this level of crime are not your average criminals, Bolhuis explained, as they are trained by people with knowledge of the specific car they are trying to steal.
“These devices are sophisticated and very effective and it can happen very quickly (theft). Vehicle theft at this level is order theft. In other words, there is a syndicate or even a specific person that wants this vehicle and they already have everything in place.
“They also have sophisticated equipment to identify your tracking device. They can identify in different ways, like having inside information from companies they are involved with,” Bolhuis said, adding that high-end vehicle theft takes a lot of planning.
One upside to the situation, Bolhuis said, was that in cases of high-end vehicle theft, the driver or passengers were generally not kidnapped, as criminals concentrate on stealing the vehicle to fulfil an order and get paid.
IOL