This grand theft auto was foiled by technology.
The police arrested three car theft suspects who had been stealing vehicles in Penjaringan, North Jakarta. At the time of the arrest, they had already stolen two cars and two motorcycles.
Unfortunately for the thieves, one of the cars was equipped with a GPS system.
On Friday, the car’s owner, Kresbianto, reported that his Toyota Avanza was missing to the Penjaringan Police.
“The victim informed us that the car was equipped with a GPS system so it was traceable. When we traced the car, it was shown to be in Cileungsi, Bogor, West Java. The Penjaringan Police Crime Investigation Unit then went to the location,” said Penjaringan Police Chief Susetio Cahyadi, as quoted by Merdeka yesterday.
Sure enough, in a matter of hours the car was found exactly where the GPS said it was, along with two of the suspects, HR and ST. Through them, the police located and arrested the mastermind of the operation, UT, in Tangerang.
The car thieves admitted that they had been modifying their stolen vehicles and selling them for substantially less than the vehicle’s market value. UT has actually been arrested for the same crime in the past.
Along with the GPS-equipped Avanza, the police retrieved a Honda Jazz and two motorcycles. The car thieves could face up to 7 years in prison.
