Thieves strike at dealership
Thieves have targeted an Auckland dealership during lockdown and stole a Holden SUV that was awaiting repairs.
Police say the vehicle was taken from Giltrap Newmarket and driven at high speed along the Southern Motorway before being abandoned.
The Auckland couple that owns the two-year-old car say mechanics had found a problem with the Holden’s differential and it was not considered safe to drive.
It had been towed to the Giltrap site in Mauranui Avenue and parts were ordered to fix the problem. The repairs were put on hold when the whole of New Zealand went into a Covid-19 lockdown on August 17.
The owners thought the car would be safe at the business, which has been operating in a limited capacity over lockdown and servicing only essential services vehicles, but got a “huge shock” days later when police contacted them to say it had been stolen and found abandoned, reports the NZ Herald.
The couple add how the Holden was taken is puzzling because it has a keyless start function, which means a fob is needed to enter the car and start the engine, but it is understood the fob was not taken.
A Giltrap Group spokesman says the company “regrets that this incident has occurred”. He adds it has offered to help police with their inquiries and is conducting its own internal investigation into the matter.
Two youths aged 14 and 17 have been arrested over the August 20 incident.