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A gang of “prolific” car thieves who stole more than 40 vehicles across Birmingham have been sentenced.
Waqar Khan, 25, Harris Haroon, 20, Mohammed Akleem Ali, 18, and 28-year-old Bilal Khan brazenly filmed themselves in stolen cars and shared the footage on social media.
The group was caught after police spotted patterns in a series of car thefts captured on CCTV.
Between January and July 2024, the four men prowled streets and car parks looking for vehicles to steal. On June 20, 2024, they took a Toyota Hilux from a car park on Holliday Street, Birmingham. Thanks to a fitted tracker, police later found it on James Street, Tyseley.
CCTV showed Waqar Khan arriving in the stolen Hilux before leaving in his own black BMW, driven by Bilal Khan. Investigators discovered Waqar frequently used his BMW to scout for targets or as part of getaway convoys.
Just two days earlier, Waqar’s BMW had been seen dropping off an accomplice to steal another car before both vehicles left together. This repeated pattern helped officers link the gang to dozens of further thefts.
The men flaunted their crimes by sharing photos and videos on WhatsApp and Snapchat, posing with stolen cars, driving them, and even filming the thefts. They also exchanged screenshots of Facebook posts from victims appealing for help in finding their vehicles, sometimes mocking or even contacting them to demand money. On one occasion, they tried to extort £4,000 from a victim to buy back their own car.
When a stolen car had a tracker, the group would rip it out, install their own device, and then market the vehicle to buyers across the UK. One Toyota Hilux was sold to a buyer who travelled from Middlesbrough, though the car was later recovered in Stockton-on-Tees.
The gang was arrested in July 2024, with police seizing their phones and specialist equipment. In April 2025, all four admitted conspiring to steal motor vehicles.
On September 18, they were sentenced at Birmingham Crown Court:
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Waqar Khan, 25, of Finnemore Road, jailed for four years and six months.
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Harris Haroon, 20, of Whittington Oval, sentenced to three years in a young offenders’ institution.
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Bilal Khan, 28, of Hob Moor Road, given a two-year suspended sentence.
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Mohammed Akleem Ali, 18, of St Benedict’s Road, handed a 36-month Youth Supervision Order and ordered to take part in a Restorative Justice programme.
PC Junaid Ali from West Midlands Police’s Serious and Organised Crime Unit said:
“We know the huge impact vehicle theft has on people – not only the inconvenience but also the fear and vulnerability it causes.
This group treated car crime like a business, repeatedly stealing and selling vehicles. But in doing so, they incriminated themselves. Our forensic experts recovered material from their phones that showed them boasting about their crimes, which proved invaluable in court.
This is a strong outcome that has brought four prolific offenders to justice. We urge the public to always report suspicious activity – your information really does make a difference.”
