Four east London and Essex men in a car theft gang have been jailed after dozens of vehicles stolen.
Police linked the men to more than 70 offences over seven months after trawling CCTV and forensic evidence.
The cases were linked to men from Hornchurch, Forest Gate, Tower Hamlets and Southend-on-Sea.
An investigation was launched in July 2024 when detectives looked into 73 car thefts and one van theft across London.
The group largely targeted Hyundai, Kia, Mitsubishi, and Toyota vehicles.
They used an electronic device known as a “key emulator” which can open a vehicle and start its engine without a physical key.
According to the Metropolitan Police, they also broke into several homes to steal the keys before taking the vehicles.
On October 2 last year, stolen cars with false plates were followed and police witnessed the group stealing a car from a residential street in Southwark, before driving back to east London.
Three of the men were stopped and arrested.
Kabir Ahmed, of High Street in Hornchurch, was arrested a week later after he was seen trying to get into a stolen Toyota Prius on false plates in his possession.
It is believed some cars may have been shipped overseas, while others were sold on with cloned number plates.
The total value of the stolen vehicles is thought to have been between £1.1 and £1.7 million.
Ahmed, 35, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to steal motor vehicles and conspiracy to conceal criminal property.
Mohammed Gulzar Ahmed, 30 of Bow Road in Tower Hamlets, Muhammed Imran Ali, 34, of Atherton Road in Forest Gate and Paul Barringer, 33, of Westminster Drive in Southend-on-sea, also pleaded guilty.
All four were sentenced at Snaresbrook Crown Court last Thursday (September 11).
Kabir Ahmed was sentenced to four years and eight months, Mohammed Ahmed was sentenced to five years, Muhammed Ali was sentenced to five years and 10 months and Paul Barringer was sentenced to two years and six months’ imprisonment.
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