Nothing can stop these clever car thieves
Despite extensive burglar-proofing measures, a group of car thieves managed to steal another silver Fortuner from the parking lot of a restaurant within ten minutes yesterday evening.
Dr Ashlynne Brown confirmed that the group of thieves managed to gain access to her vehicle yesterday evening in the parking lot near the Dros shortly after 19:00 by breaking their shatter-proof windows.
On CCTV footage, one of the suspects can be seen trying to override the tracking device in the vehicle by using a tablet.
Dr Brown told the Middelburg Observer that the thieves finally succeeded in disconnecting one of the trackers near Virgin Active gym in Middelburg while the second one was disconnected near Springs, suggesting that the vehicle was headed for the Gauteng area.
The last information to be received was a call from a farmer that the vehicle was flagged by the rural community safety cameras in Delmas.
The silver Fortuner is a 2021 4X4 model, registration number: KLL 878 MP and has two baby car seats in the back seat.
Should anyone have any information on the vehicle’s whereabouts, they are urged to call 082 570 6344.
Dr Brown told the Middelburg Observer that the public should be warned about how easy it is for criminals to outsmart the burglar-proofing measures people take to prevent such crimes.
“Tracking devices, shatter-proof windows, and alarms don’t seem enough to ward off criminals. You go out to eat and your car gets stolen within ten minutes.”
Dr Brown further added that their brush with crime did not end there and that thieves tried to break into their home in the early hours of the morning.
The family received a call from Mid Alarms at 02:00 this morning, alerting them that someone had gained access to their property in Aerorand.
“After going through our CCTV footage, we could see that the suspects had lifted the gate off its motor.”
Fortunately, the thieves were hampered by Mid Alarms’ arrival.
“While we were assessing the gate, we thought the suspects had fled, but it was later confirmed they were hiding in the shadows.”
• The theft of Dr Brown’s Fortuner is the second of its kind this week, with another silver Fortuner being stolen on October 10 – also in Walter Sisulu Street.
During this incident, the theft occurred during broad daylight while the owner of the vehicle was visiting an eye specialist.
The Fortuner was the new Facelift model.
@middelburgobserver Footage of two car thieves stealing a Fortuner. The one thief seemed to break the window of the vehicle with a slingshot, allowing the other thief to climb into the car, where he used a tablet-like device to bypass the alarm. #crime #robbery #crimeinprogress #carjackings #middelburg #southafrica
