Thieves steal 60 Toyotas in Brisbane using keyless device: police
Updated ,first published
Dozens of family vehicles have been stolen from the streets of Brisbane by an international crime syndicate using high-tech gadgets, according to police.
Around 60 Toyota LandCruiser and Prado four-wheel drive vehicles disappeared from homes between October 20 and December 1 last year.
Many were allegedly stored in shipping containers and shipped to the United Arab Emirates for sale.
“This was a highly organised, well-disciplined and very sophisticated international syndicate,” Detective Inspector Paul Dalton said on Wednesday.
There were 380 attacks on seven men from Brazil, Fiji, Japan and Afghanistan. The suspects allegedly flew to Australia with valid visas and rented property before the crime spree.
Investigators who worked with Toyota to thwart the scheme alleged that the group used a device to override vehicle computers and gain entry, allowing them to drive off without a key.
They refused to outline how the technology works and said it could encourage copycat crimes.
On December 2, a LandCruiser was seen being driven to a demolition site along Melbourne Street in Rocklea, and police tracked the vehicle to a shipping container where other vehicles were hidden behind car parts.
Acting Detective Inspector Russell Joyce said: “Investigations are ongoing into why Brisbane was chosen as the target of this attack.”
Australia has historically been one of the world’s largest markets for LandCruiser.
Police recovered 15 of the latest stolen vehicles and some were traced to the Port of Melbourne. Investigators said they were not yet sure whether the burglaries were linked to similar crimes across Victoria.
Before on-road costs, Toyota Prado prices start at just over $70,000 in Australia. The larger LandCruiser starts at just under $100,000. Police estimate the value of the 60 stolen vehicles to be approximately $9 million.
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