A Buyer’s Complaint Cracks the Case
A long-running car-cloning operation spanning London and Surrey has been dismantled after investigators uncovered a scheme involving more than £1 million in stolen vehicles. Surrey Police opened the investigation in November 2023 after a woman discovered the car she’d purchased from a dealership had actually been stolen and fraudulently resold.
Financial Records Lead to Two Key Suspects
Following the money trail, detectives were led to Abdirahman Ismail, 34, and Ali Abbas, 31, who had received payments tied to the stolen vehicle. Investigators then uncovered a broader pattern of thefts dating from February 2022 through April 2024, during which the group handled and cloned more than 50 vehicles, primarily Toyota, Lexus, Hyundai, and Kia models.
How the Cloning Scheme Worked
Police say the operation relied on altering license plates and manipulating Vehicle Identification Numbers to disguise the stolen cars’ true origins. The vehicles were then funneled back into the market through dealerships, using forged driving licenses and other fraudulent paperwork to complete the sales. When Ismail and Abbas were arrested in May 2024, phones, laptops, and documents seized in the arrests revealed additional criminal activity, including cannabis sales.
Two More Arrests Follow
Two additional suspects, Hussain Kapadia, 34, and Rizwan Javid, 41, were arrested in September 2024 after being connected to the network. Officers found a stolen BMW parked on Kapadia’s driveway at the time of his arrest.
Sentences Handed Down
Court proceedings concluded between January and September 2025. Abbas received a six-year prison sentence at Chichester Crown Court. Ismail was sentenced to 16 months, suspended for two years. At Guildford Crown Court, Javid received two years and eight months, while Kapadia was sentenced to two years and three months. A fifth defendant was acquitted following a jury trial.
The Scope of the Damage
Police say the scheme affected dozens of vehicle owners and caused substantial financial losses for insurers and dealerships swept up in the fraudulent sales, underscoring how sophisticated cloning operations can quietly move stolen vehicles through legitimate-looking transactions for years before being uncovered.