Singapore car stolen in JB

Singapore car stolen in JB mall used by drug dealers
Source:  The New Paper | Ronald Loh | Friday, Jan 8, 2016

The missing car, a Toyota Wish, belonging to Singaporean Yunos Salajudin, owner of Theme Photography, has been found. Mr Yunos lost his car in a car park at Giant Tampoi in Johor Bahru, Malaysia on 24 August 2015. Photo: Yunos Salajudi Shares 4 Ronald Loh The New Paper Friday, Jan 8, 2016 Shares 4 First, his car was stolen at a busy Johor Baru shopping mall.      

Then came another unpleasant surprise: His white Toyota Wish was used by Malaysian drug runners, JB police told him.Although Mr Yunos Salajudin is pleased that he got back the car he lost in August, he remains haunted by the incident and has become fearful of driving to Malaysia."I never thought something like this would happen," said Mr Yunos, who goes to JB about once a month."Now, when I drive up to visit my family, I go straight to their place. I no longer hang around, not even in shopping centres."Mr Yunos' car is one of at least four Singapore-registered cars stolen in JB last August.The 44-year-old owner of photography studio Theme Photography told The New Paper that he and his wife drove to and parked at Giant Tampoi Mall for grocery shopping at about 9pm on Aug 24.About half an hour later, they emerged from the mall carrying bags of groceries and found another car parked in their lot.Their Toyota Wish, which he had bought first-hand in 2008, cost $70,000."I was very sure where I had parked.

But my car was no longer there. I soon realised my car had been stolen."My mind went blank and I started trembling. My whole body became weak," he said.He and his wife rushed to the security counter and informed the staff, who helped him call the police.

That was when a guard told Mr Yunos that someone had earlier dropped off his and his wife's passports, which they had left in the car."The security guard said the person had found the passports lying on the floor. Maybe the car thief was only after my car," he said."We were so shocked that we had no mood to carry the groceries back. We just gave them to strangers."The JB police took Mr Yunos and his wife to two police stations to make the reports.

"Luckily, I have family members living in JB and they gave me a lift back to Singapore," he said.He also made a report with the Singapore police after returning home.Despite not hearing from both the JB and Singapore police, Mr Yunos refused to give up hope.In the meantime, he used his motorbike to go to work.For family outings, Mr Yunos, his wife and five children, who are aged between 10 and 21, would take public transport."Thankfully, our public transport is comfortable and convenient. Even though I needed the car for my rather large family, it wasn't that bad."GAVE UP HOPEIn October, he began to accept the possibility that his car was gone for good.

He said his insurance company was finalising his claim when the JB police phoned him some time that month.The officer told Mr Yunos that his Toyota Wish, which had been fitted with a Malaysian licence plate, was seized during a drug bust."I couldn't believe it. The first thing I was worried about was whether my car was damaged."It turned out that the Malaysian licence plate was fake. So the JB police called our Singapore police to check. They traced it to me using the car's chassis number," he said.Mr Yunos said that the JB police did not return the car immediately as investigations were ongoing.

It was only two months later, on New Year's Eve, that he was finally reunited with his car, which he said was in "surprisingly good condition".After thoroughly checking it to ensure there was no trace of drugs left in his car, Mr Yunos said he drove home a relieved man."My prayers were answered. Thank God because there have been so many stories about cars stolen and never found. It was like a New Year present."Mr Yunos still does not know how his car was stolen.But whenever he drives to Malaysia now, he takes extra precautions. He avoids parking at public places and he has installed extra security devices in his car."I have no choice as I still have to drive to visit my family there once a month. But I'm more careful now."I thought I was safe parking at a public place, but I wasn't." Singapore car stolen in JB mall used by drug dealers , his car was stolen at a busy Johor Baru shopping mall. Then came another unpleasant surprise: His white Toyota Wish was used by Malaysian drug runners, JB police told him. Although Mr Yunos Salajudin is pleased that he got back the car he lost in August, he remains haunted by the incident and has become fearful of driving to Malaysia.

The 44-year-old owner of photography studio Theme Photography said that he and his wife drove to and parked at Giant Tampoi Mall for grocery shopping at about 9pm on Aug 24. About half an hour later, they emerged from the mall carrying bags of groceries and found another car parked in their lot. He and his wife rushed to the security counter and informed the staff, who helped him call the police. That was when a guard told Mr Yunos that someone had earlier dropped off his and his wife's passports, which they had left in the car. In October, he began to accept the possibility that his car was gone for good. He said his insurance company was finalising his claim when the JB police phoned him some time that month. The officer told Mr Yunos that his Toyota Wish was seized during a drug bust. "It turned out that the Malaysian licence plate was fake. So the JB police called our Singapore police to check. They traced it to me using the car's chassis number," he said.

A Singapore-registered car was stolen in 10 seconds at a carpark outside Tebrau city, a popular shopping mall in Johor Baru. Owner Nolan Khoo, 32, on Tuesday (Aug 11) posted on Facebook a video of the incident, which was captured on a surveillance camera from a nearby store. "My car (a Honda Civic with registration plate SDX3505S) stolen in 10 seconds at Tebrau city on Aug 10 at 4.20pm," wrote Mr Khoo, an assistant manager at a logistics firm. "Please help share to friends and loved ones to report to the police if seen car. Car thief is highly skilful." The video shows a white car stopping next to Mr Khoo's car. A man then stepped out from the passenger seat, unlocked the driver-side door of Mr Khoo's car and drove it away. Responding to comments on his post, Mr Khoo speculated that the thief could have "some sort of master key and remote" to pull off the heist so quickly.


He told The Straits Times that he was on a three-day holiday in JB with his wife and had parked the car at the mall for a meal. An iPad, a CashCard and his wallet containing some money were left in the vehicle. "We go to JB quite regularly (two or three times a month) and this is the first time something like that has happened to us," said Mr Khoo. "I'm in shock at how fast the thief managed to commit the crime." Mr Khoo said the Johor police has informed him that the chances of recovering his car are "50-50" as it would likely have been exported overseas. Last month, a Singapore-registered white Honda was stolen at JB's KSL City Mall. But in a remarkable case of online sleuthing, it was eventually recovered - and a suspected thief nabbed - after the owner's brother posted an online appeal for netizens to help locate it.
, his car was stolen at a busy Johor Baru shopping mall. Then came another unpleasant surprise: His white Toyota Wish was used by Malaysian drug runners, JB police told him. Although Mr Yunos Salajudin is pleased that he got back the car he lost in August, he remains haunted by the incident and has become fearful of driving to Malaysia. The 44-year-old owner of photography studio Theme Photography said that he and his wife drove to and parked at Giant Tampoi Mall for grocery shopping at about 9pm on Aug 24. About half an hour later, they emerged from the mall carrying bags of groceries and found another car parked in their lot. He and his wife rushed to the security counter and informed the staff, who helped him call the police. That was when a guard told Mr Yunos that someone had earlier dropped off his and his wife's passports, which they had left in the car. In October, he began to accept the possibility that his car was gone for good. He said his insurance company was finalising his claim when the JB police phoned him some time that month. The officer told Mr Yunos that his Toyota Wish was seized during a drug bust. "It turned out that the Malaysian licence plate was fake. So the JB police called our Singapore police to check. They traced it to me using the car's chassis number," he said. A Singapore-registered car was stolen in 10 seconds at a carpark outside Tebrau city, a popular shopping mall in Johor Baru. Owner Nolan Khoo, 32, on Tuesday (Aug 11) posted on Facebook a video of the incident, which was captured on a surveillance camera from a nearby store. "My car (a Honda Civic with registration plate SDX3505S) stolen in 10 seconds at Tebrau city on Aug 10 at 4.20pm," wrote Mr Khoo, an assistant manager at a logistics firm. "Please help share to friends and loved ones to report to the police if seen car. Car thief is highly skilful." The video shows a white car stopping next to Mr Khoo's car. A man then stepped out from the passenger seat, unlocked the driver-side door of Mr Khoo's car and drove it away. Responding to comments on his post, Mr Khoo speculated that the thief could have "some sort of master key and remote" to pull off the heist so quickly. He told The Straits Times that he was on a three-day holiday in JB with his wife and had parked the car at the mall for a meal. An iPad, a CashCard and his wallet containing some money were left in the vehicle. "We go to JB quite regularly (two or three times a month) and this is the first time something like that has happened to us," said Mr Khoo. "I'm in shock at how fast the thief managed to commit the crime." Mr Khoo said the Johor police has informed him that the chances of recovering his car are "50-50" as it would likely have been exported overseas. Last month, a Singapore-registered white Honda was stolen at JB's KSL City Mall. But in a remarkable case of online sleuthing, it was eventually recovered - and a suspected thief nabbed - after the owner's brother posted an online appeal for netizens to help locate it. Facebook video screengrabs, Berita Harian How to avoid car theft1. Engrave the vehicle registration number on the windscreens.2. Install an alarm system.3. Lock all doors and wind up all windows.4. Do not leave the keys in the ignition switch.5. Park in well-lit areas.6. Install an anti-theft alarm system, locks for the steering wheel, clutch, brake and gear, if necessary.Source: Singapore Police Force website3 Singapore cars stolen in AugustIn August last year, three Singapore-registered cars were stolen in less than a week. It is not known if any of these cars were recovered.AUG 8Engineer Arunachalam Sathiamoorthy, 48, was on his way back to Singapore after an overnight trip to Desaru with his wife and daughter when he lost his way.At around 3.30pm, he stopped at Perling Mall for a quick bite as his daughter was hungry. He returned less than an hour later to find his Honda Stream missing.An iPhone 6 Plus, three credit cards and two CashCards were among the valuables in his vehicle.AUG 10Ten seconds was all it took for thieves to make away with Mr Nolan Khoo's Honda Civic outside popular shopping mall Tebrau City at about 4.20pm.The 32-year-old assistant manager at a logistics firm posted about the incident on Facebook.He also uploaded a video of the theft, which was captured on a surveillance camera from a nearby store. It showed a man unlocking the driver-side door of the car and driving it away.AUG 15At around 8am, retiree Yeoh Seng Hock, 75, parked his car among other Singapore-registered vehicles about 20m away from a popular eatery in Taman Sri Tebrau.When he returned 15 minutes later, his second-hand Honda Fit was gone.




This article was first published on Jan 8, 2016. Get The New Paper for more stories. - See more at: http://news.asiaone.com/news/malaysia/singapore-car-stolen-jb-mall-used-drug-dealers#sthash.EhbTUHiM.dpuf


How to avoid car theft
1. Engrave the vehicle registration number on the windscreens.
2. Install an alarm system.
3. Lock all doors and wind up all windows.
4. Do not leave the keys in the ignition switch.
5. Park in well-lit areas.
6. Install an anti-theft alarm system, locks for the steering wheel, clutch, brake and gear, if necessary.

Source: Singapore Police Force website