'Car cannibals' duo strip 98 vehicles between them
West Midlands PoliceTwo men have pleaded guilty to stripping cars of their bumpers, bonnets and headlights across the West Midlands in a two-year crime spree.
Mohammed Khan and Mohammed Haydar, from Birmingham, filmed and photographed themselves during their acts of so-called car cannibalism - then bragged about it on social media, West Midlands Police said.
The pair targeted cars surrounding Birmingham City FC's stadium, the force said, where numerous fans complained of being victims during matches.
After a three-year investigation by police, the accused appeared at the city's crown court on Tuesday where they pleaded guilty to conspiracy to steal from motor vehicles covering a total of 98 "cannibal" incidents.
Haydar, 23, of Fernhurst Road and Khan, 24, of Croxton Grove, carried out a large-scale operation across the West Midlands region between December 2022 and October 2024, police said.
Parked cars would be stripped within minutes, losing their headlights, bumpers, mirrors, bonnets and more.
Having filmed themselves carrying out the offences, they posted images on social media which showed them posing with parts and bragging about the thefts.
The force said officers worked with the football club after fans reported returning to their vehicles to find they had been stripped.
Officers examined hundreds of hours of CCTV to identify the offenders and carried out multiple warrants at their home addresses and arrested them.
West Midlands Police"Both Haydar and Khan were meticulous in their offending," West Midlands Police said.
"They carefully planned each theft that they carried out, where they would cause serious distress to their victims who were left with vehicles without parts.
"Thankfully, we have been able to put together an extensive investigation which found both Haydar and Khan carried out almost 100 cannibalism offences, and now they will be spending time behind bars."
The pair are due to be sentenced at the same court on 26 June.
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