At taxi company Dorenbos in Assen, thieves removed sixteen catalytic converters from under vans this week. The company estimates the damage at 100,000 euros.
A catalytic converter neutralizes the exhaust gases and has become popular predatory goods in recent years because it contains a certain precious metal, says Rutger Smale of the taxi company.
“They took care of our fleet in the night from Wednesday to Thursday. The cars were parked in a closed area,” says Smale. “They entered by cutting the fence. The theft happened out of sight of cameras. They knew what they were doing, so we think it was a professional group.”
He suspects that the thieves come from abroad. In the past, Eastern European gangs were often referred to for these kinds of thefts.