Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
WARNING AFTER KEYLESS RANGE ROVER IS STOLEN
Owner releases footage of brazen gang at home
THIS is the moment brazen thieves stole a keyless Range Rover from the driveway of a home.
Appearing to use a gadget in a bag to gain entry and start the ignition, three masked men made off with the luxury vehicle from the Laurelvale Grove property in Donaghcloney, Co Down.
Police say they believe the BMW X5 which the men arrived in had also been stolen from a nearby property.
Range Rover owner Raymond Younge released the CCTV footage in a bid to warn others of just how easily this kind of crime can happen.
He said he hadn’t realised the car was gone until he was about to leave for work last Thursday.
He added: “We were in bed, our bedroom is at the front of the house and that driveway is at the back.
“I was going out to the car to go to work at about 7.15am and that’s when I realised when I went to the driveway.
“There’s a tracker and all that comes with it, supposed to be a great security system and you get this thing on your phone and I went through it which takes you through to the emergency trackers.
“I asked what’s happening and they said the last hit they had was 3.49am and someone was tampering with the tracking device. And when I asked them what did they do, they said, ‘We presume your car is stolen’ and I asked them why they didn’t do anything about it then? But at that stage I wasn’t really sure what had happened so I phoned the police.”
The 40-year-old, who bought the car five months ago said when he contacted Land Rover they told him they had been aware of the issue for some time.
He added: “I was shocked, annoyed and p***ed off.
“They told me they’ve known about the issue for a couple of years and are working on technology advances and how to thwart it but in the mean time if they’d have told me I needed to keep my keys in a tin box or special pouch or whatever this could have been avoided.”
A spokesman for Land Rover said: “Our vehicles conform to the legislation at the time of manufacture and we take the issue very seriously working tirelessly to counter the ever-changing nature of thefts.”
Chief Inspt Tim Flanigan said enquiries are ongoing, adding: “We would take this opportunity to warn vehicle owners that with advances in technology, thieves are now able to gain access to your vehicle by redirecting the wireless signal from your key fob.”
They told me they’ve known about the issue for years RAYMOND YOUNGE CO DOWN YESTERDAY