Hours after the Police Service warned drivers, particularly those of Nissan cars, about an increase in carjackings in T&T, thieves struck a car lot belonging to the president of the T&T Automotive Dealers Association, Visham Babwah.
In a telephone interview with the T&T Guardian yesterday Babwah said around 1.30 yesterday morning he was alerted by security officers that his company, P&V Marketing Company Limited, at Mulchan Seuchan Road, Chaguanas, was broken into and three Nissan Tiidas stolen.
When he visited the scene, Babwah said seven other cars, of the 15 he had on the compound, were idling, all Tiidas, save for one Nissan Sylphy. He said he observed an ambulance parked near the compound and it drove off when he arrived.
After reviewing the closed circuit television (CCTV) footage Babwah said the ambulance had been parked near the car lot from 12.30 am up until he arrived and suspected the occupants were part of the heist.
Babwah said the thieves cut a hole in the fence and hot-wired the cars. About six hours later police recovered one of the stolen cars near Chan Ramlal Hardware, Chaguanas.
Police told him the driver of that car ran off the road and abandoned the vehicle. The other two stolen cars were recovered in Laventille about 30 minutes later. No one was arrested.
Speaking at Wednesday’s weekly media briefing of the Police Service, Sgt Christopher Swamber, of the Stolen Vehicles Squad, said for the first three months of the year 211 cars have been stolen and only 61 have been recovered.
He said the Nissan Tiida, particularly the white and silver grey, were easy to blend in on the roads. Also at the briefing was public information officer, ASP Michael Pierre, whose figures show that nearly one in every five cars stolen is a Tiida. This year 39 Nissan Tiidas were stolen, compared to 48 last year.
“This is a very frightening situation for me as a businessman. I know we are in a recession but that is no excuse. I blame the shift in the (import) policy from four to six-year (old vehicles) because now people can’t import the cars and people looking to steal them,” Babwah said.
On January 15, Trade Minister Paula Gopee-Scoon announced a new policy which prohibited the importation of gasoline-powered vehicles more than four years old. Previously, foreign-used car dealers were allowed to import vehicles that were up to six years old.
“It is an organised business. These thieves don’t steal a car and don't have somewhere to send it. They are ordered to steal. They will not steal a car and leave it hanging around,” Babwah said.
He added that was the second time his business had been targeted. In 2006 he was robbed of three cars and two were recovered. Babwah praised the police for their hard work and called for an increase in the penalties against car thieves.
He said the establishment of the Motor Vehicle Authority would assist as well as all vehicles at the click of a button could be checked to determine the original owner as there would be paper trail from importation to sale.
He also called on the Minister of Works and Transport, Fitzgerald Hinds, to bring legislation to Parliament for the authority to be able to operate.