In mere minutes a Mount Clear family was robbed of close to a $100,000 worth of cars in a terrifying aggravated burglary involving a group of offenders.
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Jemma Proelss and her mother are the latest victims of aggravated burglaries that have plagued police and continued to rise throughout the state.
While Ms Proelss and her mother slept in their new, secure Sovereign Estate home thieves broke into their house and stole their three vehicles. It was early Wednesday morning, just before 7am, when the pair woke to the sound of not one but two cars being driven out of the driveway. One was a Jeep, the other a four week-old sedan. Ms Proelss found the keys hanging on a hook missing and immediately called the police. But this was not the end. While on the phone, reporting the theft, brazen offenders went into the garage, swiping another car “right before (their) eyes”.
“We’re petrified. Mum often gets up in the middle of the night and if she’d been up they could’ve done anything.”
She urged residents to lock their internal garage doors to make it more difficult for thieves to gain entry.
Ballarat Divisional Response Unit Detective Senior Constable Lee Tabbitt said police were looking for a group of young offenders wearing hoodies who took off with the cars, before dumping two in the Canadian State Forest. He said police believe the offenders found a garage remote in one of the car consoles and got into the house, stealing keys belonging to the other cars.
“We believe between 5am and 7.20am a number of offenders gained entry to the house and gained access to three cars using keys,” Detective Senior Constable Tabbitt said.
“Two vehicle have been recovered in the Canadian State Forest … just after 10am.”
He said police believe the offenders abandoned the vehicles when they became bogged in relatively deep pools of muddy water. Detective Senior Constable Tabbitt said the third vehicle, a black Mazda 3 hatchback with registration plates AAF 321 was still outstanding.
“The owners have unfortunately left the remote to the garage in their car … we remind owners to be careful of where they keep their keys and remotes.”
If you have any information call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.