A gang that steals cars by pretending to be gardai in an unmarked vehicle with a flashing blue light has struck again at the weekend.
The fraudsters drive behind a car in a secluded area in darkness and activate the blue light instructing the car in front to stop. They then ask the driver to stand out of the vehicle before driving away from the scene.
The latest incident occurred near Ashbourne in Co Meath at around 5am on Saturday morning.
The owner of a 2010-registered blue Nissan Qashqai had dropped his parents to Dublin Airport and was making his way back home to Navan when he spotted blue lights behind him as he drove on the N2.
He pulled over because he believed he was being instructed to by gardai in an unmarked car.
After he stopped, the two occupants of the car with the blue light, described as a silver Vauxhall Vectra, got out and told the driver of the Qashqai that he had been speeding.
“He was instructed to get out of the car and, as he was undergoing the pretence of a search, one of the men got into his car,” said a source.
“But then the other man got back into the silver car and both cars were driven away.”
The owner of the Qashqai, a man in his early 20s, was left standing on the road as he watched his car and the silver vehicle being driven away.
A man had his van stolen in a similar incident two weeks ago in Trim, Co Meath, which gardai now believe is connected to the latest incident.
He was driving home at 4am around Connell’s Cross near Trim when he was pulled over. He was hit over the head and had his Ford Transit stolen. He later reported the theft.
The van was recovered in Bellewstown the next morning.
The blue Nissan Qashqai, with the number 10 MH262, is still missing.
Gardai at Ashbourne, on 046 9036300, are investigating the incident.
Evening Herald