Gang from Peterborough jailed for stealing luxury keyless cars worth half-a-million pounds
Members of a gang which stole luxury keyless cars worth more than £500,000 have been jailed.
Osvaldas Milius, 28, Mindaugas Savickas, 34, and Kornelijus Girdeika, 26, stole the 22 vehicles in Cambridgeshire and Lincolnshire from April to September last year.
A spokesperson for Cambs Police said: “The stolen vehicles included 16 Range Rovers, two Land Rover Discoverys, a Jaguar F-Pace, a BMW 118 and a Jaguar XF. They also attempted to steal a Mercedes E Class.
“All the Jaguar Land Rover vehicles were manufactured before 2019.
“They were stolen from driveways in Peterborough, St Neots, Little Paxton, Alconbury Weald, Folksworth, Glinton, Ailsworth, Helpston and Skegness in the early hours of the morning.”
The gang used sophisticated equipment to get into the vehicles and drive them away.
When police found 15 of the stolen vehicles in Peterborough and Lincolnshire they had been fitted with cloned numberplates.
The spokesperson went on: “The trio were forensically linked to the cars, including Milius’s fingerprints and DNA being found on a water bottle in a grey Range Rover stolen from Little Paxton on 4 May. It was found in Stanground, Peterborough, three days later.
“Girdeika’s fingerprint was found on a cloned numberplate fitted to a white Range Rover stolen from Alconbury Weald on 14 May. The car was discovered on 22 May in Market Deeping, Lincolnshire.
"Milius and Savickas were captured on CCTV using the stolen blue BMW 118 at a petrol station in Market Deeping on 18 August.
“When a black Range Rover stolen from Paston in Peterborough on 23 August was found, Savickas’s fingerprints were on the driver’s door.
“Mobile phones belonging to the men were seized when they were arrested. Analysis of the devices provided evidence that linked them to the movements of the vehicles.”
All three men admitted conspiring to steal motor vehicles and were sentenced at Huntingdon Law Courts today (13 August).
Milius, of Overland Mews, Peterborough, also pleaded guilty to knowingly entering the UK in breach of a deportation order. He was jailed for 53 months.
Savickas, of Lincoln Road, Millfield, Peterborough was jailed for 33 months.
Girdeika, of Arkwright Way, Paston, Peterborough was jailed for 32 months.
PC Craig Trevor said: “This gang conducted a sophisticated operation as they stole high performance vehicles with little thought for the impact their actions were having on others.
“I’d like to thank colleagues at Lincolnshire Police, as well as the security team at Jaguar Land Rover, for their vital assistance in bringing the perpetrators of these thefts to justice.
“Jaguar Land Rover have rolled out security updates to help protect vehicles from the tactics used in this case and additional security measures have been implemented for newer models to help prevent theft.”
Crime prevention advice for all keyless car owners includes speaking to manufacturers to ensure the latest security upgrades have been installed and low-tech measures such as pedal boxes and full steering wheel disc locks. Immobilisers and hidden dormant GPS trackers that can be activated are also options.Members of a gang which stole luxury keyless cars worth more than £500,000 have been jailed.