Apple AirTag helps man recover car stolen from KL mall valet parking

KUALA LUMPUR - Having had his car stolen from a Kuala Lumpur shopping mall, Facebook user Zach Khai Shin used a tracking device to recover the car on the same day, with his social media post detailing his use of an Apple AirTag going viral.

In his original post on July 7, which has since garnered over 4,500 shares, Mr Zach wrote that the incident occurred within just half an hour of his visit to the Suria KLCC mall on the same day.

The car, a white Honda HR-V sports utility vehicle (SUV), was stolen after it had been temporarily left near the main exit of the mall’s parking area by a Suria KLCC valet parking attendant.

“Some 10 minutes later when the car was to be moved again, the SUV went missing and was feared stolen but the car keys were still with the valet,” said Dang Wangi police chief ACP Noor Dellhan Yahaya on July 8 in a Bernama report.

According to the police, the owner was informed of the incident as he was leaving the mall at 1.20pm, and promptly filed a police report.

The car was stolen despite it having been locked, with the key fob still with the valet parking attendant. Mr Zach said that the vehicle was equipped with GPS, and was subsequently tracked to the Subang area.

In a follow-up post made on July 8, which has over 5,800 shares, he revealed that the vehicle had since been recovered and revealed that it had been tracked using an AirTag.

Mr Zach chose not to mention the use of an AirTag in his original post to avoid alerting the thief about the tracking method while the police were still conducting their investigations.

The post further states that he enlisted the help of a friend to track the AirTag’s signal to a building in Subang and locate the vehicle. The friend then alerted the police.

The alleged car thief was later apprehended at 2.35pm on the July 7 by a police patrol officer at USJ 1 Avenue, Subang Jaya, Selangor.

“The remand application for the suspect, who is 58 years old and has two records for drug offences, will be made to assist in investigations under Section 379A of the Penal Code,” Noor Dellhan said.

Suria KLCC management has yet to directly address the car theft with Mr Zach, though they claimed in a public statement to have provided crucial evidence in the case.

This has drawn criticism from Mr Zach and the public, who are questioning the reliability and security of the valet service at such a high-profile location.

Mr Zach said via a Facebook Story that a Suria KLCC representative has reached out to schedule a meeting with him. THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK