Drunk Auckland car thief returns vehicle and leaves behind gifts and a handwritten note apologising for his actions

A stolen car has been returned, along with a handwritten note with typos to the thief’s owner, who sincerely apologized for his actions.

Varun Chada, from Auckland, New Zealand, reported last week that his car was missing after he ducked into the eatery he manages for five minutes to get groceries.

When he got back outside, Mr Chada discovered someone had stolen his vehicle, so he took to Facebook to ask the community for help finding the recognizable double cab.

Four days later he found his ute exactly where he left it, after the thief decided to return it with a quarter tank less gas, no number plates and a note explaining what had happened.

Unfortunately for the thief, police have confirmed that the hunt for whoever took it is still ongoing.

A typo-filled apology note was left in the car explaining that the thief was just quite drunk and needed a ride home when they stole the vehicle

Mr Chada, who runs the Kati Street eatery, said the scribbled letter was left in the car along with his keys after the thief had a change of heart.

“Hey man got your truck back, sorry my friend was drunk and needed a ride home,” the note read.

“Leave your keys in the trunk [and] here’s something for your baby.

“Thanks and sori.”

Mr Chada was shocked when he looked inside and found a pile of toys in the back seat and no damage to the vehicle.

He initially thought he had ‘gone mad’ when the ute disappeared out of nowhere but security footage from a neighboring store caught the perpetrator red-handed.

The unreliable figure got in and drove away with ease, thanks to Mr Chada accidentally leaving the keys in the ignition during the five minutes he was gone.

“I don’t condone what they did, but I mean, they gave it back and they said sorry, so I don’t know, I’m just happy to get it back, so to speak,” he said. told the New Zealand Herald.

Officers confirmed they would continue their search for the perpetrator using CCTV footage of the theft and forensic examination of the vehicle.

Mr Chada thought he had gone ‘mad’ when his ute vanished into thin air, but CCTV from a neighboring shop caught the thief in the act

Mr Chada had originally left the keys in the ignition for five minutes while he entered his eatery, giving the thief the perfect opportunity to casually drive away.

Mr Chada thanked the positive response from the community for giving the thief a guilty conscience, which led to his car being returned.

Customers of the eatery and other locals quickly shared his message online, which is believed to have finally reached the thief.

‘Everyone was keeping an eye on it and yes it has been the topic all week, many customers also shared it when it went missing and [had] been keeping an eye on it,” he said.

“So I think social media definitely helped me get it back.”