London has seen a surge in unusual thefts: criminals are removing front badges from Volkswagen cars, which conceal radar sensors for driver assistance systems. Around 70 vehicles have been affected in four days, and repairs could cost owners up to $2,500, equivalent to roughly 1.2 million tenge, according to infohub.kz.
Police have reported about 70 affected cars on 29 streets in four days. One Volkswagen Tiguan owner said cameras captured two people on rented bicycles. They removed the badge and fled within five seconds.
Some residents speculate that criminals pre-select cars using drones, but police have not confirmed this theory. According to one owner, a neighbor indeed spotted a quadcopter near the house the day before the badge was stolen from a nearly new T-Roc.
On some Volkswagen models, the badge is located directly in front of the radar sensor used by adaptive cruise control and other electronic assistants. Therefore, after the badge is stolen, the radar may need to be replaced, reinstalled, and recalibrated, leading to costly repairs.
This design is found on certain versions and generations of the Golf, Tiguan, Jetta, Passat, ID.4, and ID.5. Volkswagen has already abandoned this approach in new models, now mounting the radar separately from the badge.
Earlier, it was reported that Volkswagen had shipped its first sedans and crossovers for sale in Kazakhstan.