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-   -   White Bolero stolen. And then RECOVERED using GPS Tech!! Screenshots inside (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/street-experiences/100854-white-bolero-stolen-then-recovered-using-gps-tech-screenshots-inside.html)

Hi everyone,am still a newbie but starting a thread as i thought this could be useful.
It was a pleasant Sunday morning in the winters of 2010, to be precise on the 19th of December 2010.I had off day from work so was just idling around the house, planning to do some odd jobs for my aunt. Moreover, it was my cousin’s birthday so he was to be dropped for a surprise birthday party at 11am.All seemed well for that morning till the time I got a call from my elder brother (He works with the Mahindras, not auto or IT sector).It was 12:05pm to be precise. He asked me where I was and then asked me , ”Bhai, can you do me a favor , can you see where our Bolero is?” I was like “What? What do you mean?” to which he replied, its been stolen at night from the parking area!!:Shockked:
Now for some information, my brother and his team have been provided with 2 vehicles by the company, 1 Bolero and 1 Scorpio(vlx), both fitted with GPS locators. The Bolero in question was the one fitted with the device. He is located at Bhatinda and the USB drive net connectivity was not good there. So he asked me to start tracking the vehicle. Since it was a Sunday, they also had their day off so they noticed the missing Bolero around 11:30am only.
Well, then began Operation Khoj (as named by the people concerned at Mahindras).I logged on to their tracking website and the first location I got was of Ferozepur. They had driven off with it just over 100kms and as of that time, it was stationery.So I conveyed the location to him.He in the meantime had started off to Ferozepur with 2 constables and a few more people from his team. Throughout his journey, I kept tracking the bolero and was surprised to find it standing still. Then I got an alert msg saying that someone had fiddled with the ignition switch and now the device was running on backup battery. I was able to locate the vehicle on the map but our few contacts at Ferozepur (Army chaps) were not able to locate that area as it was in bylanes. So they were scouting for the exact location.
At about 1:54pm, I noticed the vehicle had started off to some other location and at that very moment, my brother had reached the same area. I kept on conveying the location to him and they all were frantically searching for the vehicle. Then the vehicle disappeared from the tracker as it was running on backup system. When it reappeared after a few minutes,I noticed it was moving along a road parallel to where my brother and policemen were travelling. And to our respite, the vehicle took a U turn to be taken to a village just outside Firozepur, near IB. It came to a stop just next to a road and that was its final location. He also got in touch with other people at his office and got the exact location. Then began the waiting game for the local police to arrive. The police was there at about 3:00pm and they raided the house where it was lying and found the vehicle. Now the interesting part is that the Bolero was installed with Autocop remote locking and it opened with it. Then came the surprise, all the locks had been changed including the ignition, the company stickering had been removed, seat covers and matting also were removed. The police verified the credentials of the vehicle and handed it over to them saying that case will be registered at Bhatinda itself. So the vehicle was driven back by my brother and was put in the custody of Bhatinda police by 8:00pm. The whole thing took place in less than 24hrs. And the vehicle was recovered within 4 hrs after it was found missing. That’s another story that it took them 4 days and over Rs.30K to get the vehicle back in their possession from the police.:deadhorse The police also went ahead and did a PC to tell everyone how they recovered a vehicle in such small amount of time.

Whoa!

Just wondering how easily could they change all the locks. I guess the GPS locater for the vehicle was the only reason it got held else you might not have got it back. BTW was the immobiliser the deterrent for the Scorpio?

Cheers

My guess is that the locks were changed at ferozepur when the vehicle was stationery from 5AM to 1 PM.They had also removed the wheel covers,seat covers,matting and made the vehicle look old by removing the stickers and other things.The number plate was also changed.But somehow they had not removed the Autucop remote locking which helped my brother in unlocking the car.The Scorpio got saved as it wasn't there and was in other city at that time.:)

Thats a good ending to a tale.

I am very happy to hear that despite all such precautions by the thieves, the vehicle was retrieved.

Just a little concerned, what if the thieves also start to learn about finding GPS devices before running away with the car.

Were those people arrested ? Case lodged against them ? And why did your brother had to pay 30 k ?

You are correct in saying that what if they know about GPS devices?Have read somewhere on the forum that thieves in mumbai use computers to fiddle with the ECU of scorpios to override their immobilisers.In such situation,they might even flick out some James Bond kind of device to locate the GPS device.In the said vehicle,the device was well hidden somewhere in the car itself which i'm not aware of(will ask my brother) so it would have got unnoticed by them.My brother and his team people saw the thieves coming out of the house in a white Verna(probably stolen) where they parked the Bolero but at that time,they were not sure about the physical verification of the vehicle.Moreover,the house was of a retd policeman who on enquiry said that those people(thieves)are from neighbouring village.But the police instead of going in search of those fellows sat in his house for snacks!!No case was lodged at Firozepur but at Bhatinda.No idea why.
My brother had to cough out 30 k as bribe:deadhorse to the police and people at the court!!!

Congrats on getting the Bolero back. It's one thing to arm your vehicle with fancy tech, and entirely another for that gadget to prove useful in locating your vehicle. Thanks for sharing the screenshots, it's a first-time look for most of us here. Fascinating!

Can you share the brand and cost of the GPS locator kit? I'd say its a MUST-HAVE accessory for Bolero, Scorpio and Pajero owners. These 3 UVs are a hot favourite with thieves.

How did it disappear, only to reappear a few minutes later? The battery backup had glitches?

Your brother had a copy of the remote? Either ways, even my Esteem got stolen with an installed AutoCop system.

I must say, this gang must be very thorough.

I'm just amazed at your experience. Congrats again!

This is work of professionals. All locks changed just like that?
And Autocop overcame so easily?
Would a steering lock have helped? That big piece of iron?

Excellent. I am also interested to know the brand and cost of that locator. I have seen such in foreign countries which helps to reduce the premium of cars. Mostly the luxury ones.

Wish we get similar treatment here to from the insurance guys.

Ya, thanks for sharing these. Its an eye-opener.

Similar news was published some days ago in the Hindustan times where car hijackers were caught with the help of GPS device.
GPS tracking system in car helps cops trace hijackers, recover stolen vehicle - Hindustan Times

That is one vehicle theft with a happy ending! clap:

As everyone has said, please mention the brand details of the GPS locating device. Is there any possibility the GPS worked so flawlessly/without detection because it is a company-owned vehicle so they knew how/where to place it?

And 30k as bribes, how pathetic can our system get?!

One question : Like with the GPS phones/devices, is it necessary that the device should have a clear path above it? eg. how the GPS in most phones doesn't work if there's an obstruction above it (be it inside a house or the roof of the car).

How long is the battery backup?

I'm sure a lot of BHPians are going to breathe easy now!

Thanks a lot.

Its of Mahindra-Telematics.Will get you details in a few days.


The backup battery had no glitches.It was sending signals at regular intervals but the Telematics guys had put the system to hibernate mode for about half an hour to preserve the battery.

My brother had the original keys and Autocop remote.So he was able to unlock the vehicle but all locks were changed so keys were of no use.

Yes,it was a thrillig experience that i forgot about my lunch.

Hey Bonecollector that was an awesome recovery. Could you please post details of this product.

What a recovery. More than that this is probably the first hands on experience with such an incident and tracking. For sure thieves have become very technical and with so much of gadgets in the market, it gets very difficult to have a fool proof system. A GPS device is indeed a very helpful thing in such a situation. But can't act as a deterrent to theft. You got to make your car less prone to being stolen. Steering/gear locks make stealing a bit time taking, which can be a deterrent in some cases. But your incident really tells the advantage of the GPS device. Brilliant. Thanks a ton for sharing.

Fantastic use of GPS technology. Was the Bolero fitted with GPS locator in the aftermarket ? If so, what make and what cost ? 30k for getting your own vehicle back locating it yourself is atrocious.

Wasn't there a thread of someone tracking a stolen Scorpio, and finding that the culprit has high level contacts too? Anyways, looks like we need something similar for our vehicles, especially if it is a SUV!