Gang ‘replicated 4x4 car keys and then stole several vehicles’

Sharjah Police say six-man gang used skills of one member who worked in a car workshop after identifying vehicles to steal.

SHARJAH // A gang who were using replica car keys to steal 4x4s in Sharjah have been arrested, police said.

Six Asian men are in custody with Sharjah Police for allegedly reproducing car keys of new SUVs and stealing them in a spate of robberies in Sharjah and neighbouring emirates.

Several reports of car thefts came in from various parts of Sharjah, police said. A team of CID officers were able to narrow down their search and arrested one of the gang members.

During questioning, the alleged thieve disclosed the names of his accomplices and they were also arrested.

Police said the men confessed to monitoring high-end cars to see which would be easiest to steal and then giving the vehicle’s information to another gang member who worked in a car service shop. He would then replicate that car’s unique unlock code on another key, police said.

The men have been referred to prosecutors to face trial.

Lt Col Faisal bin Nassar, deputy director of Sharjah CID, urged residents not to leave their cars unattended for long periods of time and to refrain leaving their car with its engine running.