This is the shocking moment three masked thieves stole a £60,000 keyless car from a driveway – in just 40 seconds.
CCTV shows a thief unlocking the doors to a Range Rover Sport on a driveway by simply standing next to the front door nearby.
It is thought he was carrying an amplifier – which can be bought online for just £80 – which picked up the signal from the keys inside, and tricked the car into opening.
Two accomplices can be seen waiting – before they all jump in and drive off.
The entire theft took just 40 seconds, and even through the car alarm went off, it was too late for the sleeping family to stop the gang.
Shockingly, the victims claim the theft happened despite the family keeping the keys in a metal-lined pouch – specifically designed to stop thieves using the ‘relay technique’.
Police are investigating the theft which took place in Harborne, Birmingham in the early hours of January 29.
The 36-year-old mum-of-two, said: “Me and my partner were sleeping and I then got up to feed my baby at about 1am.
“My husband then heard our car alarm go off at 1.40am so he looked out of the window and to his horror, there was a group of masked men jumping into our Land Rover Sport.
“He quickly jumped out of bed and alerted me, but by that time, they had driven the car away.
“It was an extremely horrible and shocking moment, these individuals clearly had no fear in committing a crime.
“We have had the car since 2014 and were thinking about buying another one but the theft has put that plan on hold for now.
“What was even more strange was that the keys were kept in a Faraday pouch which is designed to prevent the car key fob signal from being picked up by an external device.
“This clearly wasn’t effective.”
Footage from the family’s CCTV camera shows three men approaching their house.
One man stands by the front door – seemingly with an amplifier – while his accomplices wait.
The equipment works by capturing signals emitted by certain keys so thieves can then drive the vehicle away and later replace the locks.
The devices can be purchased for as little as £80 each, according to experts.
The homeowner added: “It is clear that this type of crime is becoming the norm and accepted by society.
“People need to know they can’t get away with this sort of stuff.”
A West Midlands Police spokesperson, said: “We are investigating the theft of a red Range Rover from an address in Knightlow Road in Harborne which is believed to have taken place in the early hours of Tuesday, January 29.”
David Jamieson, the police and crime commissioner for West Midlands Police, said: “Thefts involving electronic devices are on the up and it’s clear that manufacturers could do more to make their vehicles secure.”
by Richard Percival
