Łódź. Gdańsk. Lublin. Warsaw. They stole catalytic converters worth nearly PLN 200,000

The police were on the trail of a gang of thieves specializing in catalytic converter thefts in November.

As Deputy Commissioner Adam Dembiński from the Provincial Police Headquarters in Łódź informs in a statement, the perpetrators were looking for delivery vehicles parked, among others, on the premises of transport companies or car showrooms, from which they cut out car parts.

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Assistant Commissioner Dembiński reports that while collecting evidence, the police determined that the thieves also operated in other parts of the country, including Lublin and Gdańsk. The arrest took place in one of the buildings in Warsaw. – The first man, a 27-year-old, was detained in the stairwell. He was aggressive, but the criminals immediately overpowered him and put him in handcuffs. The police then entered the premises where there were five men, including the companion of the detained 27-year-old. The police detained everyone in the premises, including a 29-year-old man who, according to criminal findings, was a member of a thief duo. Then, all the detainees were transported to the Police Headquarters in Łódź, where procedural activities were carried out with them, says the policeman.

– The men were charged with stealing 15 car catalytic converters and three particulate filters with a total value of approximately PLN 198,000. At the prosecutor's request, the court imposed a preventive measure on them in the form of pre-trial detention for a period of three months. They face a penalty of up to five years in prison. The proceedings are evolving, so the charges presented so far may become more stringent due to the value of the stolen property, said Krzysztof Kopania, spokesman for the Łódź District Prosecutor's Office.