Police in Riyadh have blown open the largest organised car crime racket in the kingdom’s history, arresting a 42-strong gang of alleged auto thieves and recovering 300 stolen vehicles.
The gang, mainly Saudi nationals, is claimed to have stolen cars from workshops, car washes and paint repair shops across the Kingdom, forged ownership documents, changed chassis plate and registration details and, in some cases, sold them on to unsus[ecting new owners.
The sophisticated crime ring was discovered by Saudi police after a series of complaints were lodged by car owners. A special task force was set up under the orders of Riyadh Gov. Prince Salman, and the gang was uncovered and monitored during an extensive probe by police.
Police learned that gang members targeted repair outfits and used fake documents to pose as owners. The favoured targets of choice included expensive SUVs and late model luxury cars.
Police surveillance led to an initial raid in Riyadh that netted six gang members, which included five Saudis and one Syrian, and led to the seizure of four stolen vehicles and a cache of firearms. Many more gang members were arrested during a raid at another location in Riyadh which then led to the arrest of more gang members in Arar in the Northern Border Province.
Seven more gang members were tracked to the border city of Qurayyat while the others were arrested in Hail and Qassim.
Police also recovered “official” seals and stamps, number plates and spare parts from gang member’s homes. Police allege the gang was sophisticated enough to steal, strip down, disguise and reassemble cars in their own workshops.
The gang was allegedly split into teams: one to steal the cars; another to alter them and change distinguishing marks like chassis numbers; a third to buy old cars and transfer number plates to stolen cars, and a fourth team to sell the cars inside and outside the Kingdom.
While police say they recovered 300 cars, gang members have admitted the operation was more extensive. Some are claimed to have said that the gang had already sold 125 cars on, while 143 of the seized 300 cars were in the process of being altered. Of those recovered, 105 have been returned to their rightful owners.
