Crook who stole keyless cars from Peterborough driveways jailed

A crook who stole eight cars from Peterborough driveways using sophisticated electronic kit has been jailed.
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Paulius Puras, (37), used expensive relay tools allowing him to steal the cars undetected from outside Peterborough homes.

The first theft Puras was linked to occurred on 26 September, when he went to an address in Mount Pleasant, Stanground.

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The owners of a Nissan Juke kept one set of keys in a Faraday bag which blocks the relay signal that Puras was using.

Paulius PurasPaulius Puras
Paulius Puras

Unfortunately they had a spare set of keys which were not protected and the relay equipment picked up the signal, allowing him to drive the car away in less than two minutes.

The victims called police the following morning when they realised the theft had occurred. Officers tracked the vehicle to a communal car park in Glatton Drive, Stanground.

Forensic examination of the car revealed Puras’ DNA.

On 1 October another Nissan Juke was taken, this time from Sunnymead, Werrington. The car was never found.

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Inside the vehicle were several personal items including a blue scooter that had a four digit combination lock, which would later become a vital piece of evidence.

On 18 October a Ford Mondeo was taken from Meadenvale, Parnwell, with the owners completely unaware until the next morning.

Later that day officers found the vehicle in the communal car park in Glatton Drive, parked in almost exactly the same space as the first Nissan Juke.

Evidence was compiled and Puras was arrested at his home in Woodhurst Road, Stanground, on 7 November.

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When searching his home officers found the blue scooter in his bedroom. The victim provided officers with the four digit code and it was unlocked, confirming it was the scooter from the stolen car.

Following his arrest he was linked to a further five keyless car thefts which occurred between 13 June and 13 July, namely:

Nissan Qashqai in Thorney

Volvo XC60 in Stanground

Kia Sportage in Werrington

Land Rover Discovery in Orton Northgate

Kia Sportage in Orton Wistow

Puras pleaded guilty to conspiring to steal motor vehicles at Cambridge Crown Court on Friday (10 January).

He was sentenced to two years and four months in prison and on his release will be disqualified from driving for two years.

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PC Craig Trevor, who led the investigation, said: “These were sophisticated thefts using expensive electronic equipment to hack into the cars.

“These thefts caused significant upset and inconvenience to the victims as they were family vehicles leaving parents unable to transport their children for periods of time.

“If you own a keyless entry vehicle please consider putting all keys to your vehicles in pouches that block the signal or in metal tins. Also consider purchasing low tech devices that block access to the accelerator such as a pedal box.”