Second GPS tracker saves stolen car
PETALING JAYA: When R. Kaviyarasan bought a brand new four-wheel-drive (4WD) vehicle last October, installing a second global positioning system (GPS) tracking system in the pickup truck was the first thing he did.
And four months later, it was stolen from his house in Taman Saujana Puchong in the early hours, proving him correct.
The vehicle was recovered several hours later, thanks to the new second GPS device that he had installed for added security.
It proved to be worthwhile as the pre-installed GPS tracking system that came with the truck was disabled by the thief in just over three minutes.
“The thief seemed to know exactly where it was fitted. The company that monitored the pre-installed GPS only notified me about an hour after the device was deactivated,” said Kaviyarasan, 39, who is a vegetable wholesaler.
However, the company monitoring the new GPS system, which was fitted in a concealed area, promptly alerted him after they noticed suspicious movements.
The location of his stolen vehicle was then displayed on a satellite map on his smartphone.
Kaviyarasan said he told a family member to lodge a police report while he went in search of the vehicle, guided by the GPS tracker.
“From my phone, I could see my truck speeding away before pulling over at a gated residential area in USJ12, Subang Jaya. I alerted the police and sped to the scene.
“Together with policemen, we searched the area, but my truck was nowhere to be found.
“Then I was alerted again by the company that the vehicle had been driven to a condominium unit in Kepong. I rushed over and searched for it with police but we were still unable to find it,” he recalled.
At about 6am, he said his GPS tracker detected the truck starting up and travelling at high speed along the Duke Highway.
Kaviyarasan said workers of the GPS monitoring company managed to trail and remotely disable the stolen truck, causing it to come to a halt on the highway.
“The thief attempted to restart the truck more than a dozen times by using a signal jammer device to disrupt the command signals sent by the GPS company. But the company kept disabling it repeatedly.
“When the thief failed to restart the truck, he fled the scene. I arrived minutes later and found my vehicle fitted with false number plates.
“The dashboard was damaged after the thief ripped it open to access and disable the pre-installed GPS system,” he said.
Kaviyarasan advised owners of vehicles highly sought after by thieves to instal a GPS tracker in a hidden spot in the vehicle and not solely rely on the pre-installed GPS trackers.
Yesterday, SundayStar published a series of articles detailing the alarming tactics employed by vehicle thieves.
These criminals have mastered the art of stealing cars equipped with push-start mechanisms or keyless technology in under a minute.
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