In scenes reminiscent of Angelina Jolie’s “Gone In 60 Seconds”‚ car thieves struck at a luxury Johannesburg vehicle dealership in a daring heist and made off with millions of rands worth of cars.
The heist occurred on Sunday morning when the gang broke into Infiniti Motors in Melrose Arch.
Their penchant for luxury was evident in the vehicles that they chose: a Range Rover Evoque‚ BMW X6‚ Mercedes Benz ML400‚ ML 63 and G63‚ and a Toyota Land Cruiser.
Total price tag of the stolen cars is said to hover at around R15-million.
The heist has set social media alight with speculation as to who could have taken the cars and‚ more specifically‚ for whom.
Police spokesman Captain Mavela Mosondo confirmed the heist which he said happened after 12pm.
“No one was at the dealership when the thieves struck. They somehow managed to gain access to the dealership and stole six of the cars which were on the shop floor.”
He declined to comment on how the thieves were able to override security systems in the cars‚ but said that three of the vehicles had been recovered.
“The investigation is at a very sensitive stage. We cannot say much. We are still processing the crime scene and trying to establish the identities of those behind the theft.”
Mosondo also declined to say which of the vehicles had been recovered‚ or where they were found.
Private investigator Chad Thomas‚ of IRS Forensic Investigations‚ said it was guaranteed that these luxury cars‚ which are high-performance vehicles‚ would have been stolen for a very specific buyer or market
“Those behind this would have scoped the dealership previously‚ would have prepared the necessary fabricated vehicle papers. It is important to say that these cars would have been stolen as the thieves would have known that they would have been fitted with tracking devices‚ unless they had the right equipment and time to over ride these devices.”
He said the thieves would have been working against the clock and the operation would have been something similar to the movie “Gone in 60 Seconds”.
“It would have all come down to how much time they had to disable any security devices on the cars. Where the cars were to be taken is unknown. In the past these cars would have gone straight over the border‚ but if they can get the correct paperwork they can be sold for much locally.” — Tiso Black Star Group Digital/The Times
Three luxury cars recovered after daring Melrose Arch heist
The heist occurred on Sunday morning when the gang broke into Infiniti Motors in Melrose Arch.
Their penchant for luxury was evident in the vehicles that they chose: a Range Rover Evoque‚ BMW X6‚ Mercedes Benz ML400‚ ML 63 and G63‚ and a Toyota Land Cruiser.
Total price tag of the stolen cars is said to hover at around R15-million.
The heist has set social media alight with speculation as to who could have taken the cars and‚ more specifically‚ for whom.
Police spokesman Captain Mavela Mosondo confirmed the heist which he said happened after 12pm.
“No one was at the dealership when the thieves struck. They somehow managed to gain access to the dealership and stole six of the cars which were on the shop floor.”
He declined to comment on how the thieves were able to override security systems in the cars‚ but said that three of the vehicles had been recovered.
“The investigation is at a very sensitive stage. We cannot say much. We are still processing the crime scene and trying to establish the identities of those behind the theft.”
Mosondo also declined to say which of the vehicles had been recovered‚ or where they were found.
Private investigator Chad Thomas‚ of IRS Forensic Investigations‚ said it was guaranteed that these luxury cars‚ which are high-performance vehicles‚ would have been stolen for a very specific buyer or market
“Those behind this would have scoped the dealership previously‚ would have prepared the necessary fabricated vehicle papers. It is important to say that these cars would have been stolen as the thieves would have known that they would have been fitted with tracking devices‚ unless they had the right equipment and time to over ride these devices.”
He said the thieves would have been working against the clock and the operation would have been something similar to the movie “Gone in 60 Seconds”.
“It would have all come down to how much time they had to disable any security devices on the cars. Where the cars were to be taken is unknown. In the past these cars would have gone straight over the border‚ but if they can get the correct paperwork they can be sold for much locally.” — Tiso Black Star Group Digital/The Times
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