Brazen gang used low-loader to steal prized BMW

Brass necked thieves are thought to have used a low-loader lorry to make off with a top BMW from a leafy West End street in a night raid just one day after trying to hotwire the same vehicle.
By Jacob Farr
Published 22nd Aug 2020, 07:30 GMT
The BMW was stolen from the New TownThe BMW was stolen from the New Town
The BMW was stolen from the New Town

Elliot Reeves, 37, owner of a video production firm, had noticed that the £20,000 BMW E46 M3 had been broken into on Tuesday as thieves had smashed a window and attempted to hotwire the car by disabling the locking system.

Fearing further damage to his beloved motor, he travelled to Halfords to buy a steering wheel lock, after his father had arranged for a tow truck to collect the vehicle on Wednesday.

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But the brazen thieves returned in the early hours of Wednesday, and the police suspect the criminals hoisted the car on to a tow truck and drove away with it.

Police Scotland are checking CCTV in the area.

The car was normally parked securely underground, but Elliot’s wife recently got a new car, so the BMW was parked outside Elliot’s mother house at Eglinton Crescent.

Unfortunately the car was between insurance as Elliot was awaiting switching to a more suitable premium.

He said: “On Tuesday afternoon, my car [was] broken into. The culprits had smashed the passenger side window, gouged the drivers side door lock off and tried to hotwire the car. As a result, there was no power or electronics, so the car couldn’t be moved.

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“A tow truck was organised for the next morning between 9am and 12pm.

“My Mum checked on the car at 11:45pm on Tuesday night and it was still there. At around 1am on the Wednesday morning I woke up with a horrible feeling that the culprits were going to return to do something to the car; probably torch or vandalise it. “When I got there at 1:30am, the car was gone and another car was in the space. I was utterly devastated. I’ve had my car for more than ten years. It was a childhood dream to own an E46 M3 and it had only done around 45k miles. I spent thousands over the years on modifications and, as I was in the process of changing insurance companies, it wasn’t covered.

“It reminds you just how vulnerable you are.”

Police Scotland said: “Anyone who was in the area of Eglinton Crescent late on Tuesday evening or in the early hours of Wednesday is asked to call police if they saw or heard anything suspicious. Callers can use the 101 number and should quote the reference number 0242 of 19 August 2020.”