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North truckers have been
warned of a new lorry-jacking craze where it's believed
that victims are gassed before having their vehicles
ransacked.
Crooks are targeting
overnight rest stops used by long-distance drivers up
and down the country for the crime, we can
reveal.
They wait until the
driver is asleep before spraying commonly available
motoring products into the cab through vents or slightly
open windows.
Police say this can act
like an anaesthetic and throw the sleeping driver into a
much deeper slumber, incapacitating him for several
hours.
It is then that the
thieves strike . . . able to steal from the vehicle
without fear of disturbance.
When the driver does
eventually wake up he will feel groggy and suffer a
severe headache but have little or no recollection of
the attack.
One North-based lorry
driver who did not want to be identified told the Sunday
Sun how he has already fallen victim to the crime. He
said: "It happened near Northampton about three weeks
ago. I'd been quite tired so I just decided to pull over
and catch a few hours.
"I can remember stopping
the truck and getting myself comfortable. It must have
been about 1am. Next thing I remember was waking up. It
was daylight and when I looked at my watch it was after
9am.
"I remember thinking it
was strange that I'd slept so long but I thought I may
have been coming down with flu or something because my
head was pounding.
"I got out for some
fresh air and when I walked round the back of the
trailer I realised I'd been got. I couldn't figure out
how I hadn't heard anything.
"It wasn't until I got
speaking to some other lads that I found out this was
the latest thing. I don't know for definite, but I can
only assume I'd been sedated in this way. It's quite
frightening really."
A spokesman from
Northumbria Police said. "Our whole force has been told
about it and will be keeping an eye on the situation.
"We would urge all lorry drivers to be extra
vigilant." | 
