BMW X6 gets flat packed by Romanian thieves

Romanian car thieves who were moving their loot through Austria and into Hungary are under arrest after being stopped on their way back to their homeland with a dismantled top-of-the-range BMW X6 car in the back of their truck.

Police said the crooks had just crossed into Hungary from Austria when they were pulled over for a spot check.

The thieves were found to have taken apart the costly car and loaded it aboard their VW transporter van to take back to Romania.

Police suspect the duo stole the car to order in Italy and would have received a handsome reward for their efforts once it was rebuilt and handed over to the client. Such thefts are commonplace across Europe with most luxury cars being shipped eastwards by criminal gangs operating in Romania, Bulgaria and other former communist bloc states.

Dismantling cars is the latest trick to try to get around improved police surveillance of stolen vehicles.

The EU plans to fit all new cars in Europe with tracking devices from next year as part of a plan intended to make life even harder for the car thieves.