Leuven (The Brussels Morning Newspaper): Two Lithuanian men stole 9 catalytic converters from Toyota and BMW cars in Leuven and Brussels in 2022. One man was caught in 2023 after fleeing Belgium and the other admitted his involvement in court in 2024.
Between August 16 and 31, 2022 two gang members stole nine catalytic converters from Toyota and BMW cars in Leuven and Brussels. They took five from Toyotas and four from BMWs. One of the stolen BMWs was found in Poland later. Both thieves were called to court for these crimes. But one of them a 58-year-old man didn’t show up for his court date. On October 4, 2023 the police caught the 58-year-old guy as he tried to run away from Belgium. They got him after he had been on the run for a while since the thefts happened. The legal stuff against the gang members is still happening as they deal with what they did like stealing catalytic converters and other crimes in Leuven and Brussels.
How tough times and greed led to a cross-border catalytic converter theft ring in Belgium?
The cops investigating the thefts in Leuven and Brussels used fancy techniques like ANPR, DNA stuff and checking phone calls. These tricks helped them link the crimes to Lithuanian people who were thought to be behind it all. One of them the 58-year-old guy admitted to what he did in court on June 26, 2024. He said he came to Belgium to work but had money problems because his job didn’t start on time. The 58-year-old guy said a 45-year-old Lithuanian asked him to take a stolen car to Poland for cash. Because he was really short on money he agreed to do it even though he knew the car was stolen. This choice got him mixed up in the bigger plan to steal catalytic converters and cars from Toyotas and BMWs.
It has been said that what the 58-year-old guy admitted in court is important for the legal stuff still going on. It’s helping them figure out all the bad stuff the criminal group did. Police mention that this whole situation shows how tough times and chances for quick money can lead people into doing illegal things especially when it involves stealing cars and car parts across different countries in Europe.
