Car nicked from under nose of valet parking, saved by AirTag

When valet parking failed to notice his car being stolen, and shopping mall security were useless, a Kuala Lumpur driver and his friends tracked down the thief with an AirTag.

Often when a car is stolen, it might be shipped to a buyer around the world. And, always, it's recommended that people do not confront thieves.

According to Malaysian technology site SoyaCinau, Zach Khai Shin found his car within 20 miles of where he left it, and got the police to arrest the thief. The car was a Honda HRV, and it was stolen right out from the Suria shopping mall's valet parking in Kuala Lumpur city center (KLCC). Writing on Facebook after discovering the theft, the driver said (in translation), "KLCC valet service is best not to use!"

"[The valet staff] told me he locked the car and turned off the engine," he continued. "And then? How can the car not be seen, please?"

His car was stolen at 2:15 PM local time on Sunday, July 7. In the same Facebook post, he showed both his valet parking ticket — and his car keys.

But because he had an AirTag in the car, Zach Khai Shin was able to see that it was being driven toward the Subang area, around 17 miles away.

The shopping mall staff issued a notice saying that it had "immediately launched a comprehensive investigation..." and that it was through their CCTV footage that the thief was arrested. According to the driver, though, in truth the mall staff played little part in the recovery.

Instead, while he filed a police report, his friends began tracking the car. They located the car at a private residence, and phoned the police.

"I want to thank Apple AirTag," he said in an update post. "Fortunately, the car has Apple AirTag to find the car in such a short time. Otherwise, the whole thing would be basically fruitless if [he had to rely] only the police and KLCC."

Zach Khai Shin did then also thank the local police for "moving faster than I expected."