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. | We've all seen this in the movies and laughed |
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. 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. | "Hah, you fools! Don't you know you need my finger to start........Hey, stop looking at me like that!" |
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. | That's gonna leave a mark |
Police believe the gang is responsible for a series of thefts in the area. |