Suburban
Suburban Reporter
MOTORISTS frequenting Avondale Shopping Centre and Belgravia Shopping Centre have been warned against leaving valuables in parked cars as rampaging thieves are smashing of windows of vehicles and grabbing anything of value in sight or left in the car.
A security alert shared on residents’ WhatsApp groups this week drew the attention of residents to the rampant smashing of car windows by thieves to steal valuables from cars parked at shopping centres in the northern suburbs.
“Please take note thieves are smashing car windows especially (at) shopping centres like Belgravia and Avondale,” read the alert.
In a related matter, thieves are targeting motorists who frequent the gym at St John’s College in Rolf Valley to steal valuables from their cars while they are working out in the gym.
In a security alert being circulated in residents’ WhatsApp groups, motorists are being warned not to leave valuables in their parked cars while they work out in the gym.
The security alert, posted together with a video of the thieves carrying out their act, said one motorist recently lost her handbag with an undisclosed amount of cash in United States dollars and a mobile phone.
“For those who go to the gym at St John’s School (College) please be careful because thieves are on the prowl at that place. A friend lost her handbag which contained her phone and USD cash. The thieves were driving the latest Toyota Fortuner,” read the security alert.
In the video, the occupants of the Toyota Fortuner are parked on the roadside while on their surveillance mission to check cars without people inside them before hitting their intended targets.
As soon as the parking area is clear of any people, one man disembarks from the Toyota Fortuner and goes over to a car in the parking lot to check if there are any valuables left by the owners. The man quickly dashes back to their Toyota Fortuner to grab an object which he uses to brazenly smash the window of the car. He then grabs a handbag and jumps back into their Toyota Fortuner before it drives off.
It is believed that thieves are now in the habit of hiring or stealing top of the range cars which they use to commit crimes because their targets would least suspect that these posh vehicles are being driven by criminals.
Last year, motorists were warned that criminals are now aware that most shopping centres have CCTV cameras, which capture what happens outside shops in the parking lots. The thieves now carry out their criminal activities using angles, which the cameras cannot capture.
Motorists were strongly advised against leaving valuables in cars and always make sure they physically check that their doors are locked even after locking using the car alarm remote. The thieves are also said to have some gadgets which they use to jam the locking system such that if you lock the vehicle doors with a remote and don’t physically check, you might fall victim because you will assume you have locked when the doors are not locked.
An article published in 2019 in the British Sunday Times said this method was called signal jamming. According to the Sunday Times article, a device transmitting on the same radio frequency as remote key fobs is used to jam the signal that locks the car.
“The gadget might be in the pocket of a crook in a car park, or left in shrubbery near a driveway being targeted. When owners press the lock button on their key fob, the command is prevented from reaching their vehicle and it remains unlocked. Thieves are left with an open door,” reported the Sunday Times.
The Sunday times also identified code grabbing as a looming threat when it comes to car security.
“Thieves armed with advanced gadgets are thought to lie in wait for desirable cars. When the owner locks the doors, the signal is captured by the device, which then calculates the unlock code. Though there is little evidence this method is currently being used, some experts are convinced it is a looming threat. Others say it is impossible,” the paper reported.
Targeted shopping centres and malls include Sam Levy Village, Borrowdale Village Walk Mall, Arundel Village, Riverside Walk Mall in Avondale, Avondale shopping centre, Kamfinsa shops and Helensvale shops among others.
