New car theft method springs to light in Red Hill
Authorities believe that car thieves are now gaining easy access to vehicles by removing the cars’ windscreens.
A NEW form of car theft has come to light following an incident in Red Hill in the early hours of Monday morning. Car thieves are now reportedly gaining entry and access to vehicles by removing the rubber from cars’ front windscreens.
A Station Ridge Road homeowner was woken by her dog’s frantic barking at around 4am on Monday. When she got up to inspect the reason for his barking he ran out onto the veranda as she opened the back door. He continued to bark frantically.
When she caught up to her alert hound on the veranda, she discovered that the electronic gate was wide open and that someone had attempted to steal the car belonging to her daughter and son-in-law, who also stay on the same property. It is believed that the barking canine interrupted the thieves and they fled the scene.
Upon closer inspection, they discovered that the all the rubber had been removed from the windscreen, all of the car doors were wide open and the vehicle’s positive wire had been disconnected from the battery to prevent the alarm form going off, confirmed the daughter, Sandra Snyman.
Chairman of the Mvoti Neighbourhood Watch, Wayne Nettmann, said he had never witnessed or heard of such methods being used to steal a car.
“It is certainly the first time I have heard of it happening. We are not sure why they chose to remove the windscreen. It could be a more silent option than breaking the glass. Car thefts have been on the rise, so we urge residents to take additional precautions to safe-guard their vehicles,” he said.
Several other vehicles were also parked in the same property, but they targeted the Snymans’ Golf.
Snyman said they are now feeling very paranoid after the incident. “We are definitely scared that they will come back to try and steal it again. We now park the car right by the bedroom window so that any attempts to tamper with the vehicle can be easily heard,” she said.
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