Car theft gang jailed following Met Police investigation

Four members of an organised crime group have been jailed for a total of 18 years following a Met Police investigation into dozens of car thefts in London.

Detectives trawled through CCTV and used forensic evidence to link the men to more than 70 offences over seven months.

The Met is focused on tackling vehicle crime – including car theft – and our activity has driven a significant reduction in offences this year.

Detective Inspector Damian Hill, who led the investigation from the Met’s Specialist Crime Command, said:

“We know car theft has a significant impact on victims and across the Met we are focused on tackling it. Through targeted patrols and operations like this we have reduced vehicle offences by 18 per cent.

“This group has stolen dozens of cars and would have caused misery to the lives of many Londoners. By identifying and arresting these prolific offenders we prevented more people from becoming victims.”

An investigation was launched in July 2024 when detectives linked 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. They also broke into several homes to steal the keys before taking the vehicles.

Officers reviewed CCTV, forensic evidence and other intelligence to identify Mohammed Ahmed, Muhammed Ali, Kabir Ahmed and Paul Barringer.

On 2 October 2024 officers followed the men as they used a stolen car on false plates to drive around looking for more vehicles. They 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. 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. A further key emulator was recovered during his arrest.

Further enquiries resulted in 27 of the stolen cars being recovered. It is believed some cars may have been shipped overseas, while others were sold on with cloned number plates. A number of the cars were “stolen to order” with customers requesting specific makes and models.

The total value of the stolen vehicles is thought to have been between £1.1 and £1.7 million.

Across the Met vehicle offences are down 18 per cent since the start of 2025 – 36,532 compared to 44,536 in the same period last year.

Conviction details

[A] Mohammed Gulzar Ahmed, 30 (21.09.94) of Bow Road, Tower Hamlets, [B] Muhammed Imran Ali, 34 (02.12.90) of Atherton Road, Forest Gate, [C] Kabir Ahmed, 35 (14.09.90) of High Street, Hornchurch, and [D] Paul Barringer, 33 (28.10.91) of Westminster Drive, Southend-on-Sea, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to steal motor vehicles and conspiracy to conceal criminal property.

They were sentenced at Snaresbrook Crown Court on Thursday, 11 September to:

Mohammed Gulzar Ahmed – five years’ imprisonment

Muhammed Imran Ali – five years and 10 months’ imprisonment

Kabir Ahmed – four years and eight months’ imprisonment

Paul Barringer – two years and six months' imprisonment

Video description: On 18 July 2024 a car was stolen from outside a home in Brockley. Video shows Kabir Ahmed stealing the car, with his accomplices in the stolen Toyota Prius parked nearby.