If you are the owner of a Land Rover Defender anywhere in Europe, consider yourself warned. According to police, thieves are stripping parts from Land Rover Defenders in the West and shipping them out literally just hours later, most often to Eastern Europe.
While this disturbing trend is not a new phenomenon, it is a growing one and the number of incidences has risen sharply since Land Rover ceased production of the vehicles at the end of January.
While it is not unheard of for thieves to steal the entire vehicle, many owners are finding their Land Rovers with doors, wings, bonnets, and even some engine parts missing. As any fan of Defenders knows, part of the vehicles' inherent appeal is the ability to quickly disassemble it with only basic hand tools. Apparently the thieves are hip to that quality as well.
The value of Defender body panels and other major parts, and of the vehicles themselves, has risen significantly in the ensuing weeks since JLR ended their manufacture. Now security experts and police chiefs are warning that the trend will not only continue, but will likely get worse.
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