Malaysia car thieves steal finger

[R.A. Hettinga]

<http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/low/asia-pacific/4396831.stm>

The BBC

Thursday, 31 March, 2005, 10:37 GMT 11:37 UK

 Malaysia car thieves steal finger
By Jonathan Kent
 BBC News, Kuala Lumpur


Police in Malaysia are hunting for members of a violent gang who chopped
off a car owner's finger to get round the vehicle's hi-tech security system.

The car, a Mercedes S-class, was protected by a fingerprint recognition system.

 Accountant K Kumaran's ordeal began when he was run down by four men in a
small car as he was about to get into his Mercedes in a Kuala Lumpur suburb.

 The gang, armed with long machetes, demanded the keys to his car.

 It is worth around $75,000 second-hand on the local market, where prices
are high because of import duties.

 Stripped naked

The attackers forced Mr Kumaran to put his finger on the security panel to
start the vehicle, bundled him into the back seat and drove off.

 But having stripped the car, the thieves became frustrated when they
wanted to restart it. They found they again could not bypass the
immobiliser, which needs the owner's fingerprint to disarm it.

 They stripped Mr Kumaran naked and left him by the side of the road - but
not before cutting off the end of his index finger with a machete.

 Police believe the gang is responsible for a series of thefts in the area.

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R. A. Hettinga <mailto: rah at ibuc.com>
The Internet Bearer Underwriting Corporation <http://www.ibuc.com/>
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