For one Mississauga family, a common winter routine – starting up the car in the driveway and stepping back inside to gather your things – went terribly awry on Monday morning.
In only a few minutes, one of their cars vanished.
“This is all I have left of the vehicle,” Sukh Dhaliwal told CTV News Toronto, holding a set of car keys in his hand.
It was shortly before 4 a.m. and Dhaliwal’s parents were getting ready for work.
Dhaliwal said his dad had gotten into the habit of warming up the cars before they headed out. So, at about 4 a.m. on Monday, he did exactly that.
Two minutes was all a thief needed to make off with his mother’s Merecedes Benz, home security video shows.
In the three-minute video, the suspect walks casually on the sidewalk outside their Coral Drive home and notices the two white vehicles running in the driveway.
“He looks at our Mercedes, and targets our car basically,” Dhaliwal said.
“When he sees my dad step inside the house, he power walks over to our vehicle. While looking at the entrance, he puts his right hand on the door, opens it slightly and sits in.”
Then, after quietly closing the door, the thief backs out of the driveway and drives off.
The family immediately called police to report the incident, but Dhaliwal is worried they won’t see the vehicle again.
“This is a German car. It’s going to get teared down and exported somewhere,” he said.
The already bad situation turned worse when the family spotted their Mercedes, on the security video, being driven past their home ten minutes after it was stolen.
“It’s bad news to me because it’s our first vehicle,” Dhaliwal said. “When we first came to Canada, this was the first car we bought. It has our attachments to it.”
Beyond the car, Dhaliwal’s mother, Ajeet, also lost her identification, wallet, and some cash.
While the family is hopeful the car will turn up, they also hope that by sharing their story, others will think twice before turning on their cars and walking away.
“Of course this is a lesson,” Ajeet Dhaliwal said. “If not for me, to everyone. We should be careful. Even if it is on our property… This shows that we’re not safe.”
The vehicle is described as a 2010 model Mercedes Benz ML350 Bluetech with the licence plate number BVFN 438. The left low beam light is out and there are no rear wipers.
Anyone who spots the vehicle is being asked to contact police or Crime Stoppers.
With files from CTV News Toronto's Nick Dixon
