Jailed: Trio handed 14 month sentence for high value car theft plot
Three men have been jailed for a total of 14 years after their plot to steal high value cars in Staffordshire and the West Midlands was foiled by police.
The case related to four BMW car thefts which happened between February 13 and February 27 last year.
Osman Khan, aged 23, of Barker Street, Oldbury, previously stood trial at Stafford Crown Court in January where he was found guilty of conspiring to steal motor vehicles. He was sentenced to 60 months in prison at the same court on March 6.
Kamran Khan, 26, also of Barker Street, Oldbury and Ansar Mahmood, 27, Washwood Heath Road, Birmingham, pleaded guilty to the same offence and each received 54 months and 55 months respectively on March 6.
Kamran Khan and Mahmood were arrested on the February 27 following a high speed chase involving a stolen BMW from Rugeley.
Officers from the Central Motorway Police Group (CMPG) attempted to stop the car on the M6 in Birmingham but it continued along the M6 and M5.
Officers were able to intercept it as it attempted to leave the M5 the wrong way up an entry slip road at West Bromwich.
A detailed investigation was carried out by Staffordshire Police's Southern Criminal Investigation Department (CID) who were able to gather phone and Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) evidence linking the men to the theft in Rugeley and another in Stafford.
The investigation uncovered evidence that led to the arrest of Kamran's brother, Osman Khan, on March 27 and further inquiries secured ANPR and mobile phone evidence that linked him to the theft of BMWs in Burton and Sutton Coldfield.
Investigating officer, Detective Constable Ed Rowe said: "We believe the group planned these thefts and they were specifically targeting BMW vehicles.
"However, they underestimated the power of technology. ANPR alerted motorway officers and they were able to intercept the vehicle and make these significant arrests which formed the basis of the investigation.
"We take acquisitive crime, which includes the theft of vehicles, very seriously and are committed to bringing those who commit such crime to justice."
The BMWs were stolen from Blakeholme Court, Burton on February 13; Little Sutton Road, Sutton Coldfield, on February 20; Pioneer Way, Stafford, on February 26 and Priory Avenue, Rugeley, on February 27.
