Two men charged in connection with 'dozens' of 'high value' car thefts worth £500k in Hertfordshire
Two men have been charged in connection with a series of vehicle thefts reported in Hertfordshire where over £500k worth of vehicles have been stolen.
Hertfordshire Constabulary confirmed this morning that Aurimas Sarkis, aged 29, of Swallow Drive, Raunds, Northamptonshire and Ignas Kisskiss, aged 36, of Sisley Road, Barking, have been formally charged.
Both men are facing multiple charges of conspiracy to steal motor vehicles. It has been revealed that their arrests were linked to a long-running investigation into thefts of high value vehicles using specialist equipment to bypass keyless vehicle security systems.
Thefts of this kind have been recorded in the Hertfordshire area between October and December of this year.
Chief Inspector Martin Turpin, from Hertfordshire Constabulary’s Force Intelligence Bureau: “Vehicle theft, particularly of high value keyless models, has been a prevalent crime across the county in recent years. This type of crime is often linked to organised crime groups and using specialist equipment thieves can steal a vehicle in seconds.
“We are targeting these gangs, working with our partners in neighbouring forces and using ANPR technology to track criminals using the road networks making Hertfordshire a hostile environment for them to operate in. Owners can make their vehicles safer by following our advice, such as using an approved steering wheel lock and key fob signal blocking pouch when vehicles are not being used.”
Hertfordshire Constabulary provides advice on how to protect vehicles from keyless heists on its website here.