Police charge two men from Quebec in theft of Toyota from Oakville driveway
Published March 31, 2021 at 4:11 pm
Two men from Quebec have been charged in connection to a vehicle theft in Oakville.
Early Tuesday morning, at approximately 1:30 a.m., a local resident heard their Toyota vehicle start in the driveway before discovering it was stolen.
The homeowner immediately contacted Halton Regional Police, who soon located the stolen Toyota and a second vehicle being driven in tandem.
Police attempted to stop both vehicles, but the stolen Toyota was able to get away. They arrested the two men inside the second vehicle and also seized a signal relay device at the time.
The pair of men are facing numerous charges.
Mohammad Khan, 20, of Quebec, has been charged with theft of a motor vehicle and possession of break and enter instruments.
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Pablo Rawlins-Ramos, 25, of Quebec, has been charged with theft of a motor vehicle, possession of break and enter instruments, possession of a prohibited weapon, fail to comply with probation and fail to comply with weapons prohibition.
The relay device, police say, is commonly used to steal vehicles quickly and police want to alert the public that overnight thefts of vehicles using a relay device are increasing.
Positioned near the home, a suspect is able to access the signal transmitted by the key fob inside the residence and relay it to another suspect with a computer near the vehicle.
The suspects are then able to start the vehicle using a blank key fob that has been programmed using the captured data from the vehicle’s actual key fob.
Police say thieves are targeting specific vehicles, including 2017-2020 Lexus vehicles (models RX350 and GX460), Toyota models, Land Rover Models and Ford pickup trucks.
The vehicles are normally stolen between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m. from people’s driveways.
To reduce the risk of your vehicle being stolen, police are asking homeowners to follow these steps:
- Park your vehicle within a locked/secure garage as the majority of the vehicles are stolen from residential driveways
- If a garage is not accessible, park another vehicle behind it in the driveway to act as a physical barrier to its removal
- Invest in an aftermarket global positioning system tracker or have one installed by the dealer, as it may assist in recovery of the vehicle if it is stolen
- Ensure your unattended vehicle(s) are locked and secure
- Never leave spare keys in your vehicle
- Never leave spare keys outside of your residence
- When not in use, place vehicle keys inside a radio frequency shielding bag/pouch to block cell signals
- Equip your vehicle with an alarm
- Use other devices to deter thefts (e.g. steering wheel locking device)
- Consider purchasing a quality video surveillance system and ensure your cameras are properly placed and functioning for 24-hour use
Anyone with information about this Toyota vehicle theft is asked to contact Detective Constable Ben Merchant at the 2 District Criminal Investigations Bureau at 905-825-4747 ext. 2248.
Tips can also be submitted anonymously to Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or through their website at www.haltoncrimestoppers.ca.
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