Expensive cars should be harder to steal because they are equipped with better security features. An investigator from the Royal Malaysian Police explains how car thieves have found a way to de-activate some of these features. -TNP
Mon, Aug 11, 2008
The New Paper
The recent spate of Honda CRV thefts confirms the trend that sports utility vehicles (SUVs) are still at the top of the shopping list for car thieves.
A reformed car smuggler said: "The latest cases bring back old memories for me. It looks like nothing has changed."
Mr Mohamed 37, a Singapore car jockey who used to drive stolen Malaysian cars, said car-smuggling syndicates have many channels to move stolen vehicles fast.
A car stolen in Kuala Lumpur in the morning could, by mid-afternoon, be parked at a multi-storey carpark in Singapore, he said.
Mr Mohamed said: "It's easy money. Just drive one (stolen) car into a container, and I'm $600 richer. I did as many as six cars a night before I was caught."
His last "job" was in 2004, and he was later jailed for more than a year for receiving and disposing of stolen property.
Local syndicates in Malaysia work together with syndicates in Singapore and Indonesia. Orders are placed for specific cars, particularly luxury cars and SUVs.
Mr Mohamed said that the moment a car is stolen in Malaysia, a group of men in Singapore would already be told to "stand by".
In the meantime, forged documents are prepared for the collection of the stolen cars when they arrive at their final destinations in Indonesia, South Africa or the Middle East.
Some stolen cars are stripped and sold as spare parts overseas.
Otherwise, they are adorned with fake licence plates and driven out of Malaysia by the thieves. From past reports and court cases, syndicates have used Singapore as a transit point before shipping the cars overseas.
Once in Singapore, carparks in Woodlands, Chua Chu Kang and Geylang Bahru become "holding" points.
The Singapore counterpart of the syndicate will then take over.
LOADING & SHIPPING
Singapore car jockeys would drive the cars away and load them into containers.
One Singapore mastermind was Mohd Nasir Mohd Haset, 50.
He and his crew had successfully processed and shipped 270 stolen Malaysian cars, with an estimated value of $11.6 million, since 2004.
He was finally caught in 2006 when a car jockey revealed Mohd Nasir's identity to the police.
Other masterminds, such as Malaysian Nyo Ah Hai, are on the run. He is wanted by Interpol.
Dealing in big flashy Japanese cars and European luxury cars, Nyo would ship the stolen cars to Batam. Nyo was said to have smuggled up to 154 cars a day to Batam.
Figures released by Malaysian police showed that in the first five months of 2007, a total of 4,907 luxury cars were stolen in Malaysia.
Each year, an estimated US$21 billion ($32 billion) worth of luxury vehicles are stolen throughout Asia, Europe, Africa and North America.
How to protect your cars
SIMPLE as it may seem, the best way to prevent your car from being stolen is to keep it under lock and key.
A steering or accelerator lock that comes with a strong reinforced padlock is certainly a good old-fashioned security system that will make it tougher for any thief.
A reformed ex-car thief,
Mr Mohamed, said: 'When you add security measures like steering locks or gear shifter locks, you're slowing a thief's progress.
'If stealing a car will take a long time, a thief may not even bother. He will look for easier targets.'
Anti-theft devices should be regularly serviced to ensure their effectiveness.
Always park your car in well-lit areas and report suspicious persons loitering around carparks during the early hours of the morning.
1. DRILLING FROM OUTSIDE
To get to the alarm system, thieves drill a small hole in the SUV's body.
We are not revealing the location to avoid potential car thefts.
The detective said: 'In our latest investigations, we have seen how fast the thieves can steal the cars. They can drive your car away in under 10 minutes.
'Through the hole, they will disarm the alarm. After that's done, it's easy to penetrate the SUV.'
2. BREAKING INTO THE CAR
Once the alarm has been cut off, it is easy for thieves to break in without waking up the whole neighbourhood.
One method involves punching or tampering the door lock to gain entry.
The other method uses a 'slim Jim' - a ruler-like device - which could be inserted through a gap in the window to unlock the door, the Malaysian police officer said.
3. REPROGRAMMING ECU
Once inside, thieves target the immobiliser - an electronic device fitted to a car to prevent the engine from running unless the correct key is used - by accessing the SUV's electronic control unit (ECU).
The thieves programme the ECU to recognise the new key they are using, he said. This can be done in less than 10 minutes.
The police officer added: 'It's baffling to imagine how the whole process works.
'It's more shocking when you see suspects re-enact how they steal cars. It's done skilfully and fast.
'The job is clean. They do not have to break the car's windows or use a tow truck.
'You will not hear any car alarm going off.'
4. ANOTHER TATIC
A simpler tactic is used on a bigger and popular Japanese SUV.
Car thieves will peel open a part of the car using a flathead screwdriver.
Next, they will go for the wires that power the lights, the officer said.
'They will short-circuit the car's wiring system to overcome the car's alarm,' he added.
After the alarm has been disarmed, the same methods are applied to get into the SUV and start the engine.
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