Warning to vehicle owners after car on sale stolen during ’test run’

Police are hunting four men who stole a vehicle put up for sale on the pretext of taking it out for a test run. 

Police Spokesman DIG Ajith Rohana stated that a resident of Mattegoda had placed an advertisement on a popular website announcing that he was selling his vehicle. He had placed his phone number and that of his father-in-law on the website for interested buyers to contact. 

At around 7.00pm yesterday, four men had turned up at the house in Mattegoda belonging to the vehicle's owner. They had spoken to the father-in-law of the owner and inspected the vehicle. The men had thereafter asked to take the vehicle out for a test run. Three of the men had got into the vehicle with the father-in-law of the owner and had taken the vehicle towards Pilyandala. 

The police spokesman stated that the men had suddenly attacked the father-in-law and thrown him out of the vehicle, before fleeing the scene with it. 

The stolen vehicle is worth about Rs 5.2 million, police said. DIG Rohana stated that similar thefts have been reported in the recent past where vehicles had been stolen by people who had wanted to take it for a test run. This indicates that an organized gang is currently targeting vehicles that are being put up for sale. He appealed to any vehicle owners who are planning to sell their vehicles to be extra careful. 

Ideally, vehicle owners who have put up their vehicles for sale should ensure that all transactions are done in the afternoons, the police spokesman said. He further appealed to vehicle owners not to meet with people coming to purchase their vehicle alone, and not to hand over the key of their vehicle to those who want to take the vehicle for a test run.