Tell-tale signs

But such a method would usually leave tell-tale signs, such as a damaged signal light or some drilled holes.

In Mr Rahman's case, there were no such indications.

Four Malaysian car accessory shops told The New Paper that they had not heard of the latest method of breaking into cars.

A spokesman for Mega Champion Automart in Johor Baru, who gave her name as Lisa, said: "When a car is broken into, there will always be some clues or sign that the car has been tampered with."

But she added that car thieves are "getting better", so car owners should install better quality alarm systems.

The Malaysian authorities are also seeing another worrying trend.

Last December, Malaysian newspaper The Malay Mail reported the existence of a new device that can override a car's security system, enabling the thief to disconnect the car alarm and drive the car away.

The device is known as TKM (Toyota Key Maker) and is believed to have been used mainly to steal Toyota cars.

The report said the TKM can be bought at some car workshops or online for as little as RM300($124).

Car theft syndicates in Malaysia have been known to steal cars using the TKM in just a few minutes.

According to the report, Toyota is the most popular foreign make targeted by thieves in Malaysia from January to October last year.

Of the 3,600 car theft cases, 1,575 involved the marque, with the most sought-after models being the Camry, Fortuner and Hilux.

As for Mr Abdul Rahman, he believes he didn't lose his car because of the steering lock and brake pedal lock.

He said: "Can you imagine how fast and easy it could have been for the thieves to drive my car off if I didn't have these locks to slow them down?"

And he's not taking anymore chances.

He has installed a $500 alarm system which will alert him via a small pager-sized device if someone is trying to break into his car.

"As long as I'm within a 3km radius of my car, I will instantly know if something happens to my car. This will give me time to dash back."

This article was first published in The New Paper.