Gone In 30 Seconds – PDRM Johor Seizes 81 Stolen Vehicles

30 seconds, that's all the time needed by a tech-savvy car theft syndicate to steal a luxury vehicle, even if it is equipped with an alarm and immobiliser system. Befittingly, the main target of this syndicate is luxury and four-wheel drive vehicles, which will be sold on the black market in a neighbouring country.

The above statement was made by Johor Police chief M Kumar, who also went on to add that these syndicates operated in pairs and only used an electronic programmer to gain access to and start modern vehicles without a key.

He added, "These syndicates have been active for five to six months and employ a jammer to disable the vehicle's GPS and alarm system within 30 seconds before fleeing."

The members of these syndicates typically travel to their targets in small groups and use rented cars to evade detection. During the month-long Ops Lejang operation from June 21 to July 21, police have managed to arrest eight men aged between 27 and 49, including the syndicate's mastermind.

Additionally, six more arrests were made in connection with two groups specialising in used car theft, and 10 arrests were made related to three local motorcycle theft rings.

"Throughout the operation, police seized a total of 81 vehicles, including 25 cars, a van, four lorries, 51 motorcycles, and 13 motorcycle frames," Kumar said. Police also confiscated 30 vehicle components and various theft tools from the suspects.

Since January this year, 69 luxury and four-wheel drive vehicles worth RM8.8 million have been reported missing in Johor. These vehicles are highly-demanded in foreign markets, which include models such as the Toyota Hilux, Toyota Alphard, Toyota Vellfire, and Toyota Fortuner.

"The stolen vehicles are transported by road to neighbouring countries, where they are sold for between RM30,000 to RM40,000," Kumar said.

The cases are being investigated under Section 379A, Section 411, and Section 414 of the Penal Code, as well as Section 29(1) of the Minor Offences Act 1955.