Owner of luxury sports utility vehicles (SUVs), beware.

There has been a recent spike in the theft of such vehicles.

In the two weeks between 13 and 25 Jun, 12 SUVs were stolen, police said.

In comparison, only one SUV was stolen in the first five months of this year.

However, there has been no new reports since 25 Jun.

The targeted models? Higher-end SUVs such as the Lexus RX, Toyota Harrier and RAV4.

A police spokesman said the thefts were committed islandwide, and most of them were stolen from multi-storey carparks.

In the most recent case, the car owner had parked and secured his SUV at the open carpark at Blk 526 Serangoon North Ave 4 on 24 Jun at about 11pm.

He discovered the car missing when he returned the next day at about 1pm.

To warn the public, a crime advisory from the police was put up in the popular Hardware Zone forum. It included a list of steps that car owners can take to protect their cars from being stolen.

The advisory stated that the car thieves managed to make away with the SUVs even though they were equipped with security systems.

On two occasions, broken glass was found at the scene where the vehicles were last parked.

It is believed that the culprits gained access by smashing the rear passenger windows before disabling the alarm system.

Police investigations are underway and patrols increased at affected locations.

One victim, possibly the first in the spree, is Mr Steven Theo, 35, a quality assurance manager.

He had parked his silver Toyota RAV4, which he bought for about $78,000 in late 2006, at a multi-storey carpark near his Toa Payoh home on 12 Jun.

When he went there the next day at noon, it was gone.

PANIC

He told The New Paper: 'I thought at first I had parked on a different floor, so I went around, but I still couldn't find it. That was when I started to panic.'

After combing the whole carpark, he made a police report.

He said: 'I was definitely shocked. You wouldn't imagine your car being stolen in Singapore.'

His car had been installed with a standard alarm system, and he said he had definitely locked his car.

Mr Theo said he posted the theft on the online forum of RAV4 Expedition, a website for RAV4 enthusiasts.

Another victim said on the OneMotoring online forum that his 3 1/2-year-old Toyota Harrier was stolen on 19 Jun in an open-air Housing Board carpark.

His car was equipped with an immobiliser, an electronic device fitted to a vehicle that prevents the engine from running unless the correct key or token is present.

At the lot where his car used to be were small broken glass pieces.

Echoing Mr Theo's disbelief, the Harrier owner wrote: 'I couldn't believe it happened to me and in Singapore, at a busy HDB estate.'

Shin Min Daily News also reported on two SUV thefts on 17 Jun - an $108,000 SUV stolen from a multi-storey carpark in Jurong, and another $85,000 RAV4 stolen from a Kim Keat carpark.

Mr Theo said he has not bought a new car, as the insurance for the stolen car has not been settled yet.

But he said he will probably not buy an SUV again.

He said: 'Before I bought it, I knew the cars were 'hot' in Malaysia and had a greater danger of being stolen. That was why I drove it to places (in Malaysia) that were familiar to me.

'I probably won't get an SUV again. But if I do, I will go for the models that are not that 'popular'

Anyone with information about the car thefts, or wishing to report any suspicious persons loitering at the vicinity of the carparks, can call the police at 999 or at 1800-2550000.