In an overnight heist that could’ve been ripped from a Hollywood script, the Auburn Police Department reported the theft of 16 vehicles from a Route 20 business, taken in the early morning hours last Thursday. The high-speed caper kicked off with the crooks cutting fences and ramming gates, according to a statement on the APD Facebook page, setting off what became a full-throttle police crusade to recover the stolen rides, ranging from lush 2020 models to a brand spanking new 2022 Cadillac CT4.
The APD, with the aid of business security footage and some old-fashioned detective work, managed to track down the vehicles scattered across Auburn, Natick, and South Boston before nightfall on Thursday, although the details were more complex and APD detectives had to pull out all the stops, interviewing over 17 individuals and collaborating with multiple law enforcement agencies to get their hands on the hot wheels. Auburn's finest wrapped their mitts around three men from Boston in connection with the theft late Thursday night, halting the Cadillac on Route 90 near Natick in what was described as a dramatic stop by the State Police out of Weston Barracks.
Thumb cuffs clicked on the prime suspects right there on the asphalt: Mohamed Abbas, 23, the wheelman who allegedly made a break for it but was outpaced by troopers, Hamza Jeilani, 23, and the youngest, Musab Mandar, 21, with the former facing a $25,000 cash bail and the latter duo each clapped with $15,000 bail. Not just content to throw them in the clink, detectives kept grinding away to connect the trio to the larger string of auto thefts, with all 16 boosted vehicles safely back in the lot by Friday evening, barely a day and a half since they were pinched.
The investigation was a testament to relentless policing, with the APD announcing the successful roundup of all vehicles through a mix of shoe-leather sleuthing and tech-savvy tactics, culminating in charges that'll have the three men facing the music in an Auburn courthouse, where they’ll answer not only to receiving hot rides but also to a multitude of other charges that could leave them in the cooler for a pretty stretch.
