JEDDAH – Police busted a car theft ring and arrested 10 members for their roles in smuggling rented cars out of the Kingdom. The Criminal Investigation Division of Jeddah Police netted the criminals in a lengthy manhunt, said Jeddah police spokesman First Lt. Nawaf Al-Bouq. The gang, led by an Egyptian, rented cars with forged IDs and then took them to a border area in Jazan before smuggling them out to a neighboring country where they were then sold. The gang was busted after police launched an investigation into numerous complaints filed by a number of car rental firms. The customer involved in all thefts turned out to be the same person. The head of the unit for combating vehicle thefts at Jeddah police led the operation to nab the man. Following preliminary investigations, the police discovered that a total of 25 cars had been stolen and that all of the vehicles had been leased by an Arab national who was using a forged ID. Subsequently, information about the man and copy of his forged ID were passed on to all police stations and checkpoints. Several days after launching the manhunt, criminal investigation officials spotted a man suspected to be the Egyptian and began monitoring his movements. The 38-year-old Egyptian was seen handing over the keys to one of the stolen cars to two of his fellow countrymen. Police followed the car until it reached Jazan and caught both men handing over the car to two other people. All four men were arrested. Police then apprehended the Egyptian and five other members of the gang. Further investigations revealed that the gang members were involved in various illegal activities such as leasing vehicles, transporting them to the border region with the intent of smuggling them outside the Kingdom and forging government documents. Al-Bouq said the ringleader had been previously deported from the Kingdom after serving a jail sentence for theft.
