BMW allegedly locked a stolen car remotely using an innovative ConnectedDrive system with the thief inside the vehicle. According to Police, a thief fled with a BMW car parked on the road in Seattle. However, the company managed to track the car and locked it using SIM card-based ConnectedDrive system.
According to Police source, the suspect was wandering on the road for unlocked cars. He manages to find an unlocked BMW 550i. Interestingly, the owner left the key inside and went to some other place. The owner reported to local police that her car was missing at around 5 AM. She had taken a loan from her friend to buy the vehicle.
BMW provided exact location of the car
The police immediately contacted BMW corporate office. This is to establish the real location of the stolen car. The customer service personnel provided them with the exact location of the vehicle. The team managed to find that the stolen car was located in an alley with the thief sleeping inside.
Suspect reportedly shouted inside locked car
The main highlight of the BMW action is that they managed to lock the doors of the car remotely. The suspect was trapped inside the vehicle. He reportedly shouted inside the car like “I’m not locked in here with you, you’re locked in here with me” and it was punched into the recording system of the car.
When officers surrounded the vehicle, he made an attempt to drive away from the location which turned out to be unsuccessful. Meanwhile, the police have booked the thief for auto theft and illegally possessing drugs.
Even though the BMW declined to reveal the steps taken to lock the vehicle, the company did provide a remote locking service. This means that the company employees will be able to lock or open the doors remotely when required through the SIM card-based ConnectedDrive system.
In 2015, BMW announced a series of steps to enhance security after the ConnectedDrive web portal was plagued with critical vulnerabilities.
