Sydney man's shock at finding stranger under his car: 'Seriously?'
A confused Sydney resident has returned to his car to find a stranger lying underneath it, attempting to steal a valuable part.
The unbelievable scenes were captured on the man’s phone in the car park of Bankstown Central shopping centre.
As the man approaches his Honda Accord, a leg and a car jack can be seen sticking out from under the car.
“Brother why you taking my car?” the man asks.
“Sorry?” comes the voice from under the car.
“What you doing with my car?” the man asks again.
“Is this yours?” the alleged thief says. “Seriously? I didn’t know this was yours.”
Dressed in a black hoodie and wearing a face mask, the man quickly stands up and grabs his jack and a saw, apologising to the owner and saying “my friend sent me here”.
He then proceeds to place his belongings in the car parked next to the victim’s car, before jumping in the driver’s seat.
“Brother, why you cutting off my car? How I go home now?” the stunned man says before the video ends.
Catalytic converter theft on the rise
It’s believed the alleged offender was targeting the Honda for its catalytic converter, which contains high volumes of precious metals. One of those metals – palladium – is worth more than gold.
Just days ago, Sutherland Shire police warned of an increase in theft targeting catalytic converters.
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The part forms part of a car's exhaust system and strips particulate matter from emissions. They are fitted to all Australian vehicles from 1986 onwards as a means of pollution control.
“Toyota 4WDs and vans are being targeted in the Caringbah / Taren Point industrial areas,” Sutherland Shire Police Area Command warned.
“Vehicle owners should be mindful and secure vehicles in garages, off street parking or areas with sufficient lighting where possible.”
Along with Toyotas, older model Hondas and Subarus are also commonly targeted, 9News reported.
The issue is a nationwide, with South Australia police previously advising car owners to take measures to deter criminals, such as marking or engrave the devices with the vehicle identification number, or making them harder to remove by welding in the retaining bolts.
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