Students get paid up to RM8,000 to steal cars

19 April 2011 - College and secondary students, lured by easy money, are being used by syndicates to steal cars. The students are paid between RM300 and RM500 for every car stolen and some can even earn up to RM8,000 a month.

A source, who runs a car workshop, said the students were responsible for tailing vehicles after the car keys were duplicated by operators of workshops, car wash, valet parking and towing services cooperating with the syndicates.

He said only the bolder ones were asked to steal the cars. In most cases, they were given about an hour to drive the vehicles straight to the port where containers were waiting to ship them overseas. A batch of shipment normally carries six cars and they can ship off 30 to 50 cars a month.

The youngsters also drive the vehicles to designated workshops where the parts are disassembled immediately. “It is not difficult to penetrate into schools and colleges. The amount is attractive to the youngsters, who are either from poor families or are hooked on a lavish urban lifestyle,” he said, according to a Star Metro report.

“But in many cases, the boys do it for the excitement. To be able to steal a car within minutes, avoid police road blocks and send the vehicles within the stipulated time to the destination is a challenge that gives them the adrenaline rush,” he added.

The source advised the public to be watchful when they leave their car keys to the outlets because many of them were working closely with the ring. He said there were many car theft syndicates in the Klang Valley and one could have a pool of up to 50 students at their disposal but their parents had no clue about what their children are up to.

He added that this trend of roping in students had been going on for about 10 years. Training” is provided and the “trainers” would sometimes disguise as policemen to assess how the youngsters react in critical situations. Some students are involved as soon as they obtain their driving licence.

“The students are given the plate numbers of the cars and they work in groups to reduce risks. They are usually asked to follow the drivers for about a week, not only to see the drivers’ patterns, but also to make sure that no other syndicates are eyeing the same car. Clashes between syndicates can lead to bloodshed,” he said.

The smarter students or the expert car thieves then take over from there. According to him, they can fetch the highest commission of RM30,000 with Toyota Harrier, as this model has a high demand in the Middle East. Toyota Hilux, Honda Civic and Toyota Camry as well as other four-wheeled-drive vehicles from Japan.

Source: The Star