Man steals car after test drive, demands money to reveal location

A man stole a car after asking for a test drive and then went on to demand money from its owner to reveal the location of the vehicle.

27-year-old Jake Bateson, a resident of West Midlands, UK, had placed an online advertisement to sell his KIA Rio. He gave the keys of his car to a man who asked him for a test drive on April 12.

It didn’t take much time for him to realise that his car was stolen. The thief reportedly “floored the car with the door open” outside Jake’s house before demanding £500 from him. He sent texts to Jake’s phone asking for the money.

According to reports, the same thief had stolen a car a few weeks before that belonged to Jake’s friend from Kings Heath. Both Jake and his friend reported the thefts to the West Midlands Police.

“I feel quite shocked and shaken. We were taken advantage of. You do it all in good faith and don’t want to be cynical about people spinning you a web of lies,” Jake told a Birmingham-based tabloid newspaper.

“Perhaps I should have asked to see his driving license at the start – but that just feels like an unnatural thing to do,” he added.