Catalytic converter thefts in Moate

Catalytic converters have been stolen from two parked cars in Moate. Motorists are being urged to be on the alert after the incidents in the early hours of Monday morning last (July 19).

The first incident happened in the Mount Carmel Drive estate sometime after 2.20am, according to gardaí. While conducting follow up inquiries, officers discovered a second catalytic converter theft in a nearby estate, which is thought have happened around the same time as the first. Both cars were parked in the driveway when the incidents happened.

Catalytic converter thefts have been on the rise countrywide in recent years, a dramatic jump directly attributed to the value of the metals inside the converter. What happens generally is that the perpetrator simply cuts the catalytic converter from the exhaust pipe of a parked car and sells it onto to metal or scrap dealers.

The converters often contain precious metals like platinum, rhodium, and palladium, all of which are valuable, even in small quantities. The theft is generally only discovered when the owner tries to start the car which results in an extremely loud noise.

Gardaí have appealed to people to be on the alert, anyone who noticed anything unusual in Moate on Sunday night last and into the early hours of Monday morning should call Moate Garda Station 09064 81106 or Athlone Garda Station 09064 98550.