Expat gang held for stealing luxury cars in Kuwait

Cairo: Kuwaiti police have arrested a gang of three expatriates who devised an innovative scheme to steal luxury vehicles and resell them as scrap, only for them to be reassembled outside the country.

Authorities are currently determining the total number of cases linked to the gang by reviewing complaints filed by rental offices against individuals who rented cars and never returned them.

The gang’s fraudulent operation was uncovered after police in the Sabah Al Salem suburb, part of Mubarak Al Kebeer governorate, received a tip-off. According to a security source, three expatriates had persuaded a fourth expatriate—who had already left the country permanently—to rent a high-end four-wheel-drive vehicle worth approximately KD 14,000 ($45,374).

In return, the suspects paid the expatriate KD 1,000 along with the cost of his flight ticket, the source added. Investigations later revealed that the suspects had attempted to sell the rented vehicle under the expatriate’s name.

To catch them in the act, undercover police officers posed as potential buyers and contacted the suspects, expressing interest in purchasing the vehicle. The suspects agreed to sell it for KD 7,000, which was 50% of its actual value. They were arrested at a café during the operation, the source said.

During questioning, the trio detailed their method of stealing vehicles.

"We look for expatriates who are about to leave the country permanently after completing all procedures and receiving their dues," they reportedly told investigators.

A few days before the collaborating expatriates were set to leave Kuwait, they would be taken to a rental office to lease a vehicle for ten days.

During the rental period, the vehicle would be sold on the condition that the buyer would not use it in Kuwait and would dismantle it for smuggling and reassembly in another country.