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This is very sad. No, not my rav4, but fellow rav4expedition.com member #165 got his RAV4 stolen right under his nose when in JB. He also had a new $5k ICE installed, and a laptop + 2 ipods. Sad. Here’s the article from ST. My most sincere condolences to bro esmwei. Hey time for a new ride now bro! I reckon the insurance will cover it ya…

March 27, 2006
Thief takes off in S’porean’s car in JB
Owner almost run down in bid to confront culprit
By Yen Feng

PASSERS-BY looked on as a Singaporean man had his car stolen under his nose in Johor Baru on Saturday night, and then was almost run down as the thief sped off in it.

At about 8pm, Singaporean Wei Shiming had just sat down to dinner with his wife at a food market near the Crystal Crown hotel when he saw something odd happen.

Someone was reversing his Toyota Rav 4 out of the parking lot.

Frantic, Mr Wei ran towards his car, parked only 20m away, to confront the thief.

The thief - a Chinese man in his early 30s - was caught among other cars waiting to leave the carpark.

Mr Wei ran up to him and tried to open the car door.

But he could not open it even with his electronic car key.

Refusing to give up, he yanked at the door handle so hard that he pulled it off.

He then rushed to the front of his car and pummelled the windscreen, shouting angrily: ‘Get out! What are you doing?’

But the man did not respond. Nor did anyone come to Mr Wei’s aid.

As the cars in front drove off, the thief seized his opportunity and sped away, throwing him to the side of the street.

Mr Wei shouted for help and finally found a driver who picked him up and gave chase.

But after 10 minutes of searching, they gave up - the thief was gone.

The whole incident lasted about 15 minutes.

Mr Wei’s wife, meanwhile, called the police.

Johor police later arrived on the scene and drove the couple to the Central Police Station to make a police report.

When interviewed yesterday, Mr Wei told The Straits Times that he saw no signs of tampering with the car door or the window when he approached the thief.

He said he goes to JB regularly to have his car waxed at a shop in the basement of the Holiday Plaza. This was his 12th visit in 18 months.

Mr Wei said he will lose nearly $30,000 worth of cash and items, even with the payout from his insurance company.

Among the items in the car were a notebook PC, two iPods and a newly installed stereo system worth $5,000.

He also suffered minor cuts on his hands, face and elbows. Both his knees were bleeding.

He and his wife have been shaken by the incident.

Said Mrs Wei: ‘We hope to warn other Singaporeans going to Johor to take extra precautions with their vehicles. You can never be too careful.’

In a bid to crack down on street crime, Johor police say there are plans to enlist bus and taxi drivers as lookouts as part of a community-based initiative.

A network of street cameras will also be set up around the city.

The cameras will be wirelessly linked to a police control centre.

Last year, Singapore visitors made about 7.06 million trips to Johor.

About 150 motorcycles and more than 70 cars from Singapore were stolen in Johor last year, compared to about 180 motorcycles and 100 cars in 2004.

I never intend to drive there really…