The criminal court in Mbour examined the case of a notorious car theft ring that terrorized the Petite-Côte region last Friday, reports L'Observateur, which attended the trial. The prosecution requested ten-year prison sentences for the four gang members, two of whom are still at large. The verdict is expected on July 17.

One of the most striking aspects of this case, revealed by the daily newspaper of the Future Media Group (GFM), is the very origin of the gang. All repeat offenders with extensive criminal records, its members met in prison before joining forces upon their release to commit a series of vehicle thefts in Mbour and the surrounding area. In court, the defendants even admitted to being unable to determine the exact number of their victims.

The network's organization, whose workings were recounted by the source, relied on a precise division of roles. S. Diome, a butcher by trade, identified vehicles parked in poorly lit and unguarded areas. His accomplice, M. Samb, a mechanic, would then intervene around four in the morning to start the keyless cars, often by accessing them through the trunk. The stolen vehicles were then transported to Bambilor, where another member of the network, I. Diouf, supplied false license plates purchased at the Colobane market in Dakar. The cars were also repainted to cover their tracks before being resold at low prices by M. Diome, the butcher's older brother.

Acting on complaints from the victims, the Mbour gendarmerie brigade finally managed to locate the vehicles in Bambilor. While the receiver of stolen goods escaped, S. Diome was arrested before implicating his accomplice, a mechanic. After four years of pretrial detention, the two main perpetrators appeared in court and apologized, claiming they didn't know what had driven them to target the property of honest citizens, the Gfm report concluded. The court adjourned the case for deliberation.