Four men from an east London gang have been jailed for a total of 18 years after being linked to more than a hundred car thefts.
The Metropolitan Police found the gang was connected to more than 70 offences over seven months after trawling CCTV and forensic evidence.
The four men – Mohammed Ahmed, 30, Muhammed Ali, 34, Kabir Ahmed, 35, and Paul Barringer, 33 – were sentenced at Snaresbrook Crown Court on Thursday after pleading guilty to conspiracy to steal motor vehicles and conspiracy to conceal criminal property.
The car theft gang are thought to have stolen vehicles with a total value of between £1.1 million and £1.7 million.
The gang stole vehicles by using an electric device, known as a “key emulator”, which can open a car and start its engine without a physical key.
They also broke into several homes to steal keys before taking the vehicles, largely targeting Hyundai, Kia, Mitsubishi, and Toyota cars.
An investigation was launched in July 2024 when detectives linked 73 car thefts and one van theft across London.
On 2 October 2024, officers followed the men as they used a stolen car on false plates to drive around looking for more vehicles.
The police witnessed the group steal a car from a residential street in Southwark before driving back towards east London.
Three of the men were stopped and arrested, during which officers discovered a key reprogramming device inside the car.
Kabir Ahmed was arrested a week later after he was seen trying to get into a stolen Toyota Prius on false plates in his possession in Hornchurch. During his arrest, another key emulator was recovered.
Further investigation resulted in 27 additional stolen cars being linked to the men and recovered.
The police believe the gang shipped some cars overseas, while others were sold with cloned number plates.
A number of the cars were “stolen to order” with customers requesting specific makes and models.
Mohammed Gulzar Ahmed, of Bow Road, Tower Hamlets, received five years’ imprisonment.
Muhammed Imran Ali, of Atherton Road, Forest Gate, received five years and 10 months’ imprisonment.
Kabir Ahmed, of Hornchurch High Street, was sentenced to four years and eight months’ imprisonment, while Paul Barringer, of Westminster Drive, Southend-on-Sea, received two years and six months' imprisonment.
