A Cranbourne East resident, Simone, is urgently seeking the community’s help in locating her car, which was stolen from her property driveway earlier this week.
Simone’s vehicle is a red 2017 Hyundai i30 SR Premium with registration number AZF465. The license plates are black but may have been replaced. There is a noticeable dent in the lower section of the front passenger side door, and a service sticker is affixed to the far-right side of the windscreen.
The car was not recently washed and may still be in a visibly dirty condition.
The exact time of the vehicle theft is uncertain, but Simone estimated that it occurred between 10pm on Monday 17 June and 10am Tuesday 18 June.
“The last time that I saw my car was on Monday night at about 10pm” she recalled.
“On the morning of Tuesday 18 June, I heard someone come in through the front door. I was still in bed, and I assumed it was my housemate, so I didn’t really think much of it or feel any fear or concern.
“Later that day, a friend came over. He had called me just before arriving at my door. I was curious as to why he had called, and he explained that he was unsure if I was home since he didn’t see my car in the driveway. I informed him that my car was indeed there, but he insisted that it wasn’t. I went to check and discovered that my car was indeed missing, which evoked a range of emotions within me, particularly confusion.
“It was discovered not long after that several valuable items, including two Nintendo Switches, a Panasonic GH5 camera, two lenses, two watches, and other electronic devices were missing, the majority of which belonged to my housemate. My housemate denied returning home earlier in the day, and I came to the realisation that my car and all other belongings had clearly been stolen. I experienced a profound sense of violation, guilt, distress, and anger.”
Simone said it was possible that the car theft and the property theft could be two separate incidents or they could have both happened at the same time.
The local police are currently investigating and access to CCTV footage from a neighbouring house is being looked into, but the process may take some time.
Simone recently relocated to Cranbourne East from Rowville and she said she had not yet completed unpacking or setting up security cameras.
“We do have security cameras, and installing them was certainly a priority for us. However, it was not at the forefront of our minds. We could not predict that something like this would occur so soon after moving in, or at all,” she said.
Due to financial constraints and hardship, Simone’s car was uninsured, so not finding the car would be a devastating financial loss for her.
Simone said recovering the vehicle was crucial for her livelihood and mental health, as she relied on it for essential tasks and appointments and lacked convenient access to public transportation.
Anyone who may have a lead or dashcam footage that could assist Simone in locating her stolen car, please contact Simone directly at simonnie33@outlook.com. Simone said she was willing to offer a $200 reward for any information that led to her stolen car’s recovery.
