Apple AirTag helps man recover car stolen from KL mall valet parking

Facebook user Zach Khai Shin has gone viral over a post on how he managed to recover his car using an Apple AirTag after it was stolen at Suria KLCC.

In his original post, which has since garnered over 4,500 shares since it was made on Sunday (July 7), Zach wrote that the incident occurred within just half an hour of his visit to the mall.

The vehicle, a white Honda HR-V sports utility vehicle (SUV), was stolen after it had been temporarily left near the main exit of the mall’s parking area by a Suria KLCC valet parking attendant.

“Some 10 minutes later when the car was to be moved again, the SUV had gone missing and feared stolen but the car keys were still with the valet,” said Dang Wangi police chief ACP Noor Dellhan Yahaya on Monday in a BK report.

According to Noor Dellhan, the owner was informed of the incident as he was leaving the mall at 1.20pm, and promptly went to file a police report.

The car was stolen despite it having been locked, with the key fob still left with the valet parking attendant. The post further states that the vehicle was equipped with GPS, and was subsequently tracked to the Subang area.

In a follow-up post made on Monday (July 8), which has over 5,800 shares as of this article’s publication, Zach revealed that the vehicle had since been recovered and revealed that it had been tracked using an AirTag.

Zach chose not to mention the use of an AirTag in his original post to avoid alerting the thief about the tracking method while the police were still conducting their investigations.

The post further states that Zach enlisted the help of a friend to track the AirTag’s signal to a building in Subang and locate the vehicle. The friend then alerted the police.

The alleged car thief was later apprehended at 2.35pm on the same day by a police patrol at USJ 1 Avenue, Subang Jaya, Selangor.

“The remand application for the suspect, who is 58 years old and has two records for drug offenses, will be made today to assist in investigations under Section 379A of the Penal Code,” Noor Dellhan said.

Suria KLCC management has yet to directly address the car theft with Zach, though they claimed in a public statement to have provided crucial evidence in the case.

This has drawn criticism from Zach and the public, who are questioning the reliability and security of the valet service at such a high-profile location.

Zach has since said via a Facebook Story that a Suria KLCC representative has reached out to schedule a meeting with him.