Parents Leave Kid in Car and Car got Jacked

[Expert Car Thief ? Car Unlocked and Engine Running, How Difficult to Steal ?] 

Wednesday February 13, 2013
Suspect an expert vehicle thief, say police

KUALA TERENGGANU: A 26-year-old who sped off with a sleeping child in Kemaman on Jan 23 is an expert vehicle thief and not a kidnapper, police said.

Terengganu CID chief Asst Comm K. Manoharan said the suspect, from Kampung Padang Luas, Besut, is linked to at least 16 vehicle thefts in Terengganu and Kelantan. He is suspected to be behind 12 motorcycle thefts in Besut and Pasir Puteh.

“Police are working on retrieving the stolen cars,” ACP Manoharan said.

The suspect, however, has no history of child kidnapping.

“We are not sure what he would have done with the child but it is good that we managed to catch him not long after the incident,” he said.

On Jan 23, the suspect drove off a Mitsubishi Storm that had been left unattended by a couple during an emergency toilet stop at a petrol station.

The couple left the car with their three-year-old child sleeping inside while its engine was running and its door unlocked.

The suspect drove off towards Dungun but was nabbed by police less than an hour later, 70km from the petrol station, following a short chase.

The three-year-old boy was unharmed and returned to the parents on the same day.