Stolen cars being shipped fast to far reaches of the world

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KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian car theft syndicates have extended their reach to Europe and Africa although Asean countries remain the top destination for stolen vehicles.

Cars not cannibalised for their parts for sale in the local black market are shipped to locations like South Africa and Greece while the syndicates continue to feed the demand in nearer countries like Cambodia, Vietnam and Laos.

Federal CID director Comm Datuk Seri Mohd Bakri Zinin said there was also a big demand for four-wheel drives in the Middle East due to the “desert conditions.”

The Toyota Hilux, Toyota Camry and Honda Civic were among the most popular models “exported” while the locally-made cars were stripped for their parts, he added. 

The electronic diagnostic tool is a double-edged sword, as it can be used for either good or bad purposes.

“With the assistance of our counterparts overseas, we have recovered cars stolen in Malaysia in Singapore, New Zealand, South Africa and recently, even in Greece,” Comm Mohd Bakri said yesterday.

“The stolen cars are not kept in one place for too long.

Amog the tools of the illicit trade is a hand-held device to diagnose mechanical faults

Police are helpless to stop the use of this key instrument for theft as it is not a controlled item and is widely used by mechanics.

The hand-held device costing RM10,000 can be used to deactivate immobilisers in cars.

“It is a device we cannot control as it is used by mechanics. It is even sold at flea markets in Jalan Pasar and Petaling Street,” said Federal CID director Comm Datuk Seri Mohd Bakri Zinin.

A quick web search showed that the device could be bought online as well.

The high-tech tool was designed to plug remotely into the computer controlling a vehicle's fuel injection system.

Once in the system, the device can manipulate the car's alarm system as well.

Thieves stay in tune with technology

Thieves stay in tune with technology

SOURCE:

http://www.star-motoring.com/News/2012/Car-thieves-stay-in-tune-with-technology.aspx

PETALING JAYA: Vehicle thieves are using high-tech gadgets to make swift and silent getaways.

Where they once used metal rods or rulers to disable a car's locking system before hot-wiring it, they now rely on high-tech gadgets that can deactivate an alarm and other security features to enable them to steal the vehicle in seven minutes on average.

CID director Comm Datuk Seri Mohd Bakri Zinin said syndicates were using computer harnesses which could be connected to a vehicle's diagnostic system.

“These hand-held devices look like video game consoles to the untrained eye, but they can immobilise a vehicle's alarm and other security features.

“The newer model cars are more vulnerable because they have computer boxes incorporated into their system,” he added.

Vehicle thefts are usually a combined effort by several syndicates, Comm Mohd Bakri said, and explained the stages:

“First, the thieves steal a targeted car and delivers it to a certain location.

“Then a driver takes it to a storage facility before it is either handed over to a freight forwarder or cannibalised for parts.

“The syndicates involved do not make any physical contact with each other when passing the car along.”

He said police had difficulty clamping down on the syndicates because they did not know each other.

Comm Mohd Bakri said the Bukit Aman Operations, Intelligence and Records division had compiled data on the methods the syndicates use to steal vehicles.

“Some of the syndicates target cars in parking lots. After breaking into a vehicle, they drive it bumper to bumper with their own car.

“This way they can use their parking ticket to get both vehicles out before the boom gate closes,” he said.

He added that there were also cases where syndicates rammed into a targeted car, and when the owner came out to inspect the damage, they jumped in and drove off with the vehicle.
 

150 vehicles stolen daily

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PETALING JAYA: An average of 150 vehicles are stolen a day in the country, with Proton and Perodua models topping the list of 112,503 whisked away since 2010.

Federal CID director Comm Datuk Seri Mohd Bakri Zinin said the high number of thefts was due to the demand not only for new but also old vehicles, which are cannibalised for their parts. 


A total of 57,462 vehicle thefts were reported in 2010 while the number was 55,041 as of September 2011, he said.

He added: “There is a big demand for the stolen vehicles at construction sites in remote areas. Some are used in robberies and other criminal activities while certain models are exported overseas.

“We believe that vehicles like Toyota Hilux are stolen to feed the huge demand for four-wheel drives in the Middle East. We think that rebel forces use them to mount guns.”