A woman says she was threatened by a man with a 'knife-type weapon' during a catalytic converter theft outside her Milton Keynes home.
The victim says she went outside her house, in the MK6 area of Milton Keynes, on Friday evening (15/1) when she spotted a bright light and a man standing in the road.
"I noticed my grandad's car was jacked up," she said. The woman then approached the car, and saw three men, so she decided to question what they were doing.
One of the men then allegedly began to wave "what appeared to be a knife or some other sharp weapon" at the woman whilst shouting at her to get back.
Whilst this was happening, another man, who was underneath the car, began to remove the jack. The three men were then said to have put everything back into their car, a silver Audi, and quickly drove away.
This ordeal has since left the woman incredibly frightened, and she now feels unsafe. "I haven’t slept properly since it happened," she added, "Every noise I hear outside my house and I become a wreck. I no longer feel safe in my own home... all for them to make a quick buck on a lump of metal."
This same silver Audi which is alleged to have been involved was spotted in Cranfield that same evening.
Another car had its catalytic converter stolen, and when the owners too caught them and confronted them, the men allegedly smashed the car's windows.
And in a separate incident, CCTV footage dated Saturday evening (17/1) has been circulating showing three men - one stood by the front door holding a large object - stealing a catalytic converter from a vehicle on a driveway. A woman can be seen and heard reaching out of her window screaming at the thieves, who do not respond and simply continue the theft.
Over the past few months, Thames Valley Police has been warning car owners of a spate of catalytic converter thefts. Officers say that offenders are most commonly targeting parked Toyota Prius, Toyota Auris, Honda Jazz, Honda Civic, Honda CRVs and Lexus RX400 vehicles.
Anyone with any information about catalytic converter thefts should call the non-emergency number 101 or make a report on TVP's website.
