A 57-year-old alleged car thief has been arrested in Karachi after police traced him through CCTV footage. The footage allegedly showed him posing as a worshipper before stealing a vehicle outside a mosque in Gulshan-e-Iqbal.
Police identified the suspect as Insaf Ali. According to officials, he had been involved in vehicle theft cases for several years.
CCTV Footage Helped Police Make the Arrest
According to the Anti-Vehicle Lifting Cell (AVLC), Insaf Ali travelled from Ghotki to Karachi to steal vehicles. Investigators said he mainly targeted cars parked outside mosques during Fajr prayer.
Police said he would allegedly steal a vehicle and leave Karachi before morning. This made it harder for investigators to track the stolen cars.
The case came to light after CCTV footage from a mosque in Gulshan-e-Iqbal surfaced several months ago. The footage reportedly showed a man offering prayers before leaving the mosque and stealing a Suzuki Mehran parked outside.
Police later used the footage to identify and arrest the suspect.
AVLC officials said a criminal record involving 14 cases was found during the investigation. However, some reports have mentioned more than 15 cases. The exact number therefore remains unclear across different reports.
Police said Insaf Ali had allegedly been involved in vehicle theft since 2000. Investigators also alleged that he used his appearance as a worshipper to avoid suspicion around mosques.
Stolen Vehicles Were Allegedly Taken to Quetta
According to AVLC officials, the suspect allegedly transported stolen vehicles from Karachi to Quetta. Police said the vehicles were then sold there.
Investigators have also obtained information about a suspected buyer in Quetta. An AVLC team is expected to follow up on that lead as the investigation continues.
Officials said the suspect usually did not stay in Karachi for long after a theft. Police also alleged that he tried to move stolen vehicles out of the city before daylight.
SSP AVLC Khalid Mustafa Korai advised vehicle owners to consider installing two tracking devices in their cars. He said thieves may disconnect one tracker, while a second device could help police locate a stolen vehicle.
Korai also said that more than 700 stolen vehicles had been recovered in 2026 so far.
The investigation into the alleged vehicle-theft network is continuing. Police may take further action against other people who are found to be connected to the stolen-car trade.
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