Incidences of auto theft have been rising right here in Malaysia, with syndicates focusing on pick-up vans, 4x4s and SUVs particularly, in response to The Star. The nation is seeing a year-on-year improve within the variety of autos stolen, reaching a excessive of 14,592 final yr in comparison with 14,433 in 2022 and 13,426 in 2021.
Of these, bikes make up the lion’s share with 10,589 stolen, whereas 3,225 automobiles (inclusive of pick-ups, SUVs and MPVs, that is really barely down from 2022’s complete of three,264) and 778 lorries have been additionally taken from their house owners. As of September this yr, the entire of autos stolen reached 10,849, together with 7,700 bikes, 2,535 automobiles and 614 lorries.
Bukit Aman Prison Investigation Division (CID) director Comm Mohd Shuhaily Mohd Zain instructed the publication in an interview that the stolen autos have been being offered abroad – together with neighbouring nations – with syndicates being paid handsomely.
Stolen autos are in excessive demand as a result of they’re a 3rd the value of what they’re on the used market. Different components embody the pressing want for spare components. “Our investigations revealed that automobile theft syndicates are focusing on 4×4 autos and SUVs because of excessive demand, as such autos can fetch a excessive value within the black market.
“Native automobile theft syndicates will likely be paid between RM20,000 and RM30,000 per luxurious automobile by worldwide syndicates, relying on the kind and situation of the automobile,” Mohd Shuhaily mentioned.
He added that criminals have been turning in direction of automobile theft because of the excessive revenue and the way little time it takes to steal it, estimating that simply 5 minutes is all that it takes. Syndicates typically goal autos parked on the road, in open or public parking areas or in entrance of unfenced homes, though there have been a number of instances of luxurious automobile theft in gated neighbourhoods. Thieves typically observe and observe the motion of their focused automobile for between 24 and 72 hours earlier than stealing it.
The strategy of theft typically modifications over time to adapt to the growing sophistication of auto safety techniques and now contains a number of digital units to unlock automobiles with keyless entry, in addition to high-powered cellular jammers to disable GPS monitoring. “The sale of such devices and tools on-line is a significant contributing issue in direction of the frequency of theft in Malaysia,” mentioned Mohd Shuhaily. “These units are simply accessible and bought via on-line purposes.”
He added that the capability to defeat keyless entry techniques has been a significant factor accelerating automobile theft. “Syndicates have found methods to hack keyless entry techniques or to bypass safety techniques with out the usage of the unique key,” Mohd Shuhaily mentioned.
Thieves additionally benefit from proprietor negligence and the shortage of auto safety techniques, in addition to alarm techniques which can be simply accessible and susceptible to tampering. “Different negligent behaviours are parking the automobile in a secluded space or darkish place, not putting in further locks, or worse, leaving the automobile unlocked,” Mohd Shuhaily mentioned.
As for what occurs after the automobile is stolen, that will depend on the place it’s headed. “The modus operandi for the home market typically includes tampering with engine and chassis numbers of the autos earlier than promoting them.
“The syndicates would additionally dismantle the stolen autos and promote the spare components. For the worldwide market, syndicates would smuggle the autos in another country on demand,” mentioned Mohd Shuhaily, including that stolen autos are smuggled throughout the border utilizing false registration numbers and paperwork just like the mannequin of the stolen automobile.
Of the 53,300 autos stolen since 2021, 13,704 have been recovered by the CID, particularly its Intelligence, Operations and Data Division (D4). “We additionally detained 17,199 people nationwide in reference to automobile thefts. All those that have been arrested had felony information, together with automobile and motorbike thefts in addition to drug offences,” Mohd Shuhaily mentioned.
Among the many measures taken by the police was the shut collaboration with enforcement businesses in Thailand to thwart transnational organised crime alongside the border. “Conducting joint operations to observe unlawful passages or routes can be very important. We additionally elevated the frequency of patrols in hotspot areas and have stepped up the arrest and prosecution of auto thieves,” Mohd Shuhaily mentioned, including that authorities have additionally performed campaigns to unfold automobile safety consciousness.
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