Thieves strike again in Victorian caravan heartland
Ram-raid robbers snatch two Melbourne-built Highclere luxury 'vans in daring early-morning break-in'Ram-raider' robbers have struck again at Victoria's caravan manufacturing heartland, in Melbourne's northern suburbs.
It was only a couple of months ago that a brazen break-and-enter operation at the Melbourne factory of Prime Edge Caravans resulted in the theft of two brand-new 'vans, which were later recovered.
Now the owners of seven-year old Melbourne caravan manufacturer Highclere will be hoping for a similar result, after 'copycat' thieves recently broke into Highclere's factory premises (incidentally located only a couple of kilometres from Prime Edge's), and towed away two fresh-off-the-line caravans.
The early morning break-in took place on August 29 at Highclere's production facility on Fullerton Drive, Epping, in an industrial area popular with caravan and accessories retailers as well as RV and chassis manufacturers.
Police said a grey Toyota LandCruiser rammed the locked gates to the property around 2am, before entering and hitching up a charcoal 22ft 6in Highclere Arundel caravan.
It's alleged the same offender then returned about 4.25am and stole a bronze 21ft 6in Highclere Oasis, that was also parked outside the factory building.
As both 'vans were parked on an outside forecourt it's believed they were not covered by insurance; a similar situation to the Prime Edge caravans that were stolen in July; also under the cover of darkness but behind a fence and in plain view from the street.
The dealer-stock 'vans were not fitted with any security or GPS tracking device and were waiting to be transported to Highclere dealers in Tasmania and New Zealand.
It's believed Whittlesea Crime investigation Unit detectives have recovered the tow vehicle which was possibly stolen, but are still searching for the stolen 'vans, which have a combined retail value of around $200,000.
Investigators have released CCTV images and images of 'vans similar in appearance in the hope someone may be able to provide further information.
Anyone with information or footage is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or submit a confidential report online at www.crimestoppersvic.com.au
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