WATCH: Gone in 60 seconds – car thieves steal high-end V8 Lexus SUV from Joburg shopping complex
Durban – The owner of a 2017 Lexus 570LX SUV said he could not believe how fast his vehicle was stolen by criminals from the parking lot of a shopping complex in Randburg on Tuesday.
The driver, who asked to remain anonymous due to safety concerns, told IOL on Wednesday that the vehicle has personalised licence plates.
For the purposes of this article he prefered to be called Mr X.
Mr X said he was travelling to Northgate to meet a friend but decided to pull off at the Nova Bar in Malanshof at about 5pm on Tuesday.
“I said let me pull off at this shopping centre and wait for my friend. Because it was load shedding and traffic heading into Northgate during peak time would be crazy.
“So I go to this bar at a small shopping centre. I took my laptop out of the car and went upstairs to work while I waited for him. I swear to you, not even 10 minutes later, some guy comes upstairs and asks, ‘Who’s driving the Lexus?’
“I said it was me. He said they just stole it,” Mr X said, adding that he did not believe the man at first.
The 5.7-litre V8 capable of putting down a maximum of 270kW of power was bought by Mr X in 2017.
A 2017 model retails for just over R1.2 million at current market prices.
The criminals were caught on CCTV footage from outside Nova Bar.
In the CCTV footage, two men approach the vehicle. One at first, who goes straight to the passenger side tyre and fiddles for a moment before the other guy approaches the driver’s side door.
He then jumps in, starts the vehicle and drives off.
Immediately after coming downstairs to confirm that his SUV had been stolen, Mr X said he called his insurer, Discovery, and alerted them of what just happened.
He said Discovery then put out a message on the radio to the security companies in their network, who managed to track the vehicle down about 20 minutes later.
He said the vehicle was found in Fairland, about 15 minutes away from where it was stolen.
“They found the vehicle just outside the MTN head office in Fairland. I think the driver was heading towards the freeway,” he said.
Security companies located the vehicle and alerted the police, who then pounced on the driver, who was alone inside the vehicle.
Mr X said that jamming devices were found inside the car with the driver.
IOL has contacted Gauteng police spokesperson Colonel Sello, who confirmed that the driver was not arrested.
“As per case number, that is a theft of motor vehicle case opened yesterday, 25 October 2022 for further investigations and no suspect has been arrested,” Sello said.
UPDATE: The alleged vehicle thief has since been arrested and is expected to appear in court on Thursday morning.
IOL
