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Beeping Benz leads police to major auto theft ring
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Montreal-made Boomerang sends signal from stolen luxury car
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The Globe And Mail
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Karen Palmer
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7/16/1999
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A tip out of thin air has helped police smash a major auto theft ring and recover a million dollars worth of luxury cars.
A cellular transmitting device installed in a Mercedes-Benz that was stolen from the Forest Hill area on Tuesday is called the key to cracking a crime ring suspected of exporting stolen luxury cars.
Detective Sergeant Bill Seldon said the transmitter lead police to a warehouse on Goodmark Place where they discovered 15 high-end vehicles – a few BMWs, a Lexus, two Ford 4x4 pickup trucks and a Mercedes worth about $120,000.
The transmitter, called a Boomerang, is embedded in the car. It hooks into the Bell Mobility network and allows police to track the vehicle.
Some of the vehicles recovered yesterday had been stolen and recovered at least twice before.
“These guys were stealing to order,” Mr. Ing said, The cars had been staked out by thieves, who followed them to homes in North Toronto and then stole them.
Det. Sgt. Seldon said the warehouse had been used to strip vehicle identification numbers off the cars by popping out the windshield and replacing the serial number.
“They weren’t stripped down; they weren’t torn apart, ” he said. “This wasn’t a typical chop-shop operation.”
He said trucks and been rented to transport the stolen vehicles. He suspected the luxury vehicles wher headed for other countries, where expensive makes and models of cars are not as readily available as they are in Canada.
Car thefts or thefts from cars make up about 42 per cent of police calls in 53 Division, Det.Sgt. Seldon said.
Salesman Larry Ing said the signal from the tracking device can penetrate concrete, said making it more effective than a global positioning tracker. It was designed in Montreal about five years ago, but hit the Toronto market only a year ago.
Mr. Ing said he has installed about 150 units for Mercedes-Benz dealers in Toronto.
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| Boomerang
Tracking Inc. assembles, markets and distributes
the Boomerang Tracking System, a proprietary product
using technology patented by the Company. The
Boomerang Tracking System is the central device
in a cellular-based asset tracking system utilizing
the wireless systems of major regional telecommunications
companies. The Boomerang Tracking System is capable
of locating stolen automobiles, heavy equipment
and valuable objects. The Company's proven recovery
record has received endorsement by members of
the insurance industry. The Boomerang Tracking
System is installed through a network of authorized
dealers located throughout the provinces of Quebec,
Ontario and British Columbia. The Company's head
office, research and development, production and
corporate installation facilities are located
in Montreal, Quebec. Boomerang is a registered
trademark of Boomerang Tracking Inc. The shares
of Boomerang Tracking Inc. trade on The Toronto
Stock Exchange under the symbol BMG. |
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