Police hunt for duo seen on CCTV allegedly stealing family car less than 60 seconds
Victoria Police are on the hunt for two people who were seen in CCTV footage allegedly taking off with a family's $50,000 Mazda CX-9 in less than 60 seconds.
"We just went inside and we came out and the car is completely gone," Melbourne mum and nurse Asha Patel told A Current Affair.
The alleged theft occurred in a new estate in Cranbourne East shortly after Mrs Patel and her NBN technician husband Bhavesh returned home from shopping with their one-year-old son Shanaay, who was asleep in the back.
The Patel family. A Current Affair
As Mrs Patel took their sleeping son out of the car, Mr Patel moved the car forward and then unloaded their furniture while unaware the alleged thieves were close by.
The alleged crooks appeared to spot their chance at 2.30pm.
A woman with tattoos could be seen in CCTV footage allegedly strolling into the family's garage, while what appeared to be her accomplice stood by.
Asha and Bhavesh Patel pictured with their car. A Current Affair
Asha Patel seen getting her baby out of the car. A Current Affair
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When the coast appeared to be clear, the woman could be seen jumping behind the wheel of the car and taking off while the boot was still open.
The alleged thief's sidekick jumped into what appeared to be the getaway car and they were both gone "within a minute", according to the Patels' footage.
Eleven seconds later Mr Patel returned to the garage to find his car gone.
Bhavesh Patel seen getting furniture from his car. A Current Affair
Bhavesh Patel seen going inside. A Current Affair
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"The way they came in, it's really scary to us," Mr Patel said.
"These people were nearby to us and maybe watching us."
The couple said they were lucky their son wasn't in the car when it was stolen.
Their car was found 48 hours later in an area that was a three-hour drive away, in country Victoria and police said the vehicle was a write-off.
The couple said they only purchased the car two years ago and were not sure if their insurer, AAMI, will accept their claim because the keys were still in the car.
"I still have a $32,000 loan on the car," Mr Patel said.
A car spotted on CCTV outside the Patel family home. A Current Affair
Police hunt for duo seen on CCTV allegedly stealing family car less than 60 seconds A Current Affair
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"I don't have (a) car now … financially and mentally and emotionally it's going to impact (us) a lot."
With a spike of car thefts nationally, there has been a surge in motorists installing GPS trackers in their vehicles, according to Nathan Torkar from Solid GPS.
"Someone's garage was jammed open, their motorcycle was stolen and it was just dumped in a bush. He was able to get it back within about 30 minutes," Torkar said.
Mr and Mrs Patel said they now hope it won't be long until the alleged thieves are caught after they uploaded the footage to social media.
They said a stranger had identified an alleged female culprit and her name had been given to police.
Statement by an AAMI spokesperson:
Given the unique circumstances of the theft, and as per our standard process for such cases, we have escalated and are carrying out a review to confirm what happened. We appreciate the impact this event has had on Mr Bhaveshkumar and we are working as quickly as possible to provide him with a decision on his claim.
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