Masakhane motorists warned as thieves target cars parked at home
Police advise motorists to always lock their vehicles and remove all valuables before parking.
Masakhane is facing a sudden wave of theft after two separate incidents in which motorists lost their vehicles in places where they should have been safe.
In the latest incident, which occurred on September 3, a man told the police that his brother’s vehicle was stolen at his home.
He said he parked the white Toyota Corolla outside on the evening of September 2, with all doors and windows locked.
To his surprise, when he woke up in the wee hours of the next day, the vehicle was nowhere to be found.
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This follows another vehicle theft incident which reportedly occurred on August 31, in which another man’s vehicle was stolen from his home.
According to the police, the man said he left his blue Nissan 1400 parked in his yard, with all doors and windows secured.
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When he woke up around 04:15 to prepare for work the next day, he said he noticed through the window that his vehicle was no longer at the spot where he had parked it.
With disbelief, he rushed outside only to realise that it had been stolen.
In both incidents, the thieves remain unknown; however, investigations into the cases are ongoing.
Warrant Officer David Ratau advised that motorists should always make sure to lock their vehicles, remove all valuables, and park inside a secure garage or a well-lit driveway.
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He also advised that they should install steering wheel locks, alarms, immobilisers, or a tracking device in their vehicles to make them hard to steal.
“We are not saying cars with steering locks don’t get stolen, but we have noticed that they are often safer than those with none,” Ratau said.
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