A Canberra family has been left terrified after burglars who raided their home returned more than two weeks later to steal their car, which was later discovered rigged with petrol in an apparent attempt to destroy it by explosion.
A Calculated Break-In
The nightmare for the Higgins public servants began on Thursday, October 23, when their home was ransacked while they were at work. The husband discovered the invasion upon returning home, finding every drawer and cupboard open.
Thieves used a toolbox from the garage to unscrew the back door for entry. They stole $1000 in cash, $1000 in travel vouchers, rare coins, a laptop, clothing, and crucially, bank papers, ID documents, the wife's birth certificate, and the spare keys to the family's 2015 Hyundai Tucson.
The burglars were notably selective, focusing on paperwork and identity documents. "They didn't take my birth certificate, even though it was placed along with my wife's," the 41-year-old husband noted.
The Chilling Return and Stolen Car
In a brazen and calculated follow-up, the offenders returned to the property on November 8—a full 15 days after the initial crime. The family believes they were being watched.
"All the days after the burglary, I parked my car in front of my husband's car in our driveway. But on that Friday, I parked it in front of our house, and the very next day they came for my husband's car," the wife explained.
The stolen SUV was found abandoned days later on November 11 outside Charnwood Shops. A community member spotted the vehicle and alerted the family via social media.
A Vehicle Set for Destruction
What the family discovered was horrifying. Their car had been stripped of its registration plates and badges. The interior contained drug paraphernalia and, most alarmingly, two jerry cans of petrol. The vehicle had been doused in fuel, seemingly set up to be ignited.
"They doused [the car] in petrol and set it up like it was ready to blow up in a public area, right near a daycare centre," the shaken wife said. The family believes this was a deliberate attempt to destroy forensic evidence.
ACT Policing arrested a man and a woman on Friday in connection with a separate burglary at a vacant Braddon property. The man faces charges of aggravated burglary and unauthorised possession of a firearm. Police suspect these individuals are linked to the Higgins incident after the car's registration details were made public.
"We are shocked, in disbelief, and my anxiety is over the roof," the wife stated, capturing the family's ongoing trauma. ACT Policing confirm that investigations are continuing and urge anyone with information to contact Crime Stoppers, referencing case number 8214295.
