It has not been going well for Pim Ditmar lately, first his car company goes up in flames, and a few weeks later the catalytic converters are stolen from his remaining cars. “Yes, then you can sink through the ground for a while,” says Pim.
An observant neighbor heard a lot and a loud sawing noise on the night in question, and alerted the police. On arrival, the police found two young Romanians on the site where Pim’s cars were parked. These have been picked up and appeared earlier Today before the judge.
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A baleful Pim says that this joke costs about 9,000 euros. “The cars have to be transported to the Goorn, where we are now temporarily due to the fire. We also spend a few hours on each car to attach a new catalytic converter underneath. We also have to buy that catalytic converter,” says pim.
Earlier it happened on the same industrial site at another car company. The owner of that company, Mischa Hermeler, was shocked to hear that it had happened again. “I immediately drove to the shop to check if it was my cars,” said Mischa.
Ten catalytic converters have previously been stolen from him. “I think that if you sell it you will get around 5 to 6 thousand euros for it,” says Mischa. He thinks it is bad that the trade in stolen catalytic converters apparently goes so easily. “You often hear that they disappear in the area. This will also pay well for the thieves’ guild, you don’t earn a few thousand euros in an evening,” says Mischa.
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Mischa and Pim also have in common that they both have a burned-out building. The two car companies – on the business park in Hem – were completely destroyed by a fire on 25 March. Mischa had just taken measures against the thieves at his building. “I have placed a large lamp that switches on when someone enters the site. And a few more cameras, but I didn’t have that yet before the theft,” says Mischa.
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According to Mischa, the thieves are very goal-oriented. “They take the cars whose catalytic converter is worth the most,” says Mischa. “Apparently these are Volvos”, Pim adds. Previously, catalytic converters were also removed from private individuals. According to Pim, there’s not much you can do about that. “It’s about the precious metals that are in it. And those are traded again,” says Pim.