16-05-2025
Shocking moment car thieves use hi-tech gadget to steal £44,000 Mercedes from outside owner's home - as keyless raid is caught on doorbell camera
A £44,000 Mercedes was stolen off the driveway of the owner's home after two thieves used a hi-tech gadget to start the motor.
The innovative duo used a signal relay device to steal the Mercedes S Class in the middle of the night.
Doorbell footage shows one of the men making his way towards the house while the other stood by the car.
Mindaugas Grizas, 36, and Lukas Zvirgzdys, 18, successfully stole the car for a mere 12 minutes.
When breaking into the vehicle a large engine noise alerted the owner to the theft.
The owner of the car called the police from their home located in Breckland, west of Norwich, Norfolk.
The call was made at 2:30am on April 7, 2025.
Officers for the Norfolk Constabulary stopped the car just 12 minutes later where they found the passenger still wearing a balaclava.
Mindaugas Grizas, 36, was sentenced to one year and four months imprisonment and a two year disqualification from driving
The device was found in the footwell alongside a GPS jammer that was still transmitting.
The duo were arrested at the scene and charged later that day with multiple offences.
Grizas from Thetford and Zvirgzdys of Hillburn Road, Wisbech were charged with stealing the car and using apparatus to interfere with wireless telegraphy.
The 36-year-old was also charged with driving without insurance and driving while disqualified.
The pair appeared at Norwich Magistrates Court the following day where they both pleaded guilty.
On May 12, both men appeared in Norwich Crown Court for sentencing.
Grizas was sentenced to one year and four months imprisonment and a two year disqualification from driving.
Zvirgzdys was jailed for a year, suspended for 18 months, and ordered to carry out 200 hours of community service.
Sergeant Gary Morris, of Norfolk Police's Breckland District Crime Unit said: 'This is a timely reminder to take simple steps to keep your vehicle safe.'
Keyless technology, once the preserve of expensive high-end vehicles, has become commonplace among more affordable family cars.
These gadgets let criminals pick up the signal from a car's keyless fob lying inside the owner's home, and extend this signal to unlock the car and start it. The vehicle's security system is tricked into thinking the key fob is present.
He added: 'The easiest thing to do if you have "keyless" technology is to buy a faraday box or pouch which you can get cheaply and easily online.
'This blocks the signal from the keys meaning it can not be picked up by a relay device outside your home.'
