Disclosed are a number of novel features. Among them are configuring the casing of the present invention such that once deployed an attempted forced or unauthorized removal of the casing from the vehicle will render the vital vehicle component encased by the casing inoperable. This inoperability may include, but is not limited to, detaching from the vital vehicle component at least one wire extending from the vital vehicle component. Alternatively, the casing may be fabricated from a material with a relatively
low melting point and the casing may be deployed such that an attempted unauthorized removal using a
cutting torch will cause portions of the casing to melt such that molten casing material will fall onto and damage the vital vehicle component and render it inoperable. Another feature is that of configuring the casing from a material having a first set of material properties and attaching the casing element one to another using connectors having a second set of material properties. The material properties of the casing include a
low melting point and the material properties of the connectors include a
hardness such that friction between a connector and a rotating portion of a tool, such as but not limited to a
drill bit or a grinder wheel, causes the temperature of the connector to exceed the
low melting point of the casing material. Thusly configured, during an attempted unauthorized removal of any one of the connectors using a tool having a rotating portion, the anti-theft characteristics of the anti-theft device of the present invention are enhanced by the
welding of the connector to at least one of the interconnecting elements of the casing.