The General Directorate of Internal Security Forces - Public Relations Department indicated in a statement that "as part of the efforts by the Internal Security Forces to combat thefts from vehicles in various Lebanese regions, and following the recent increase in such incidents, where the windows of cars are being broken by unknown individuals and their contents stolen, the Information Branch was tasked with conducting field and investigative measures to identify and arrest those involved in these thefts."
As a result of investigations and inquiries, the branch identified the vehicle used in the thefts, which is a black "Renault" with fake license plates. They also managed to reveal the identities of the two perpetrators: B.M.M. (born in 1968, Lebanese) and N.A. (born in 1978, Lebanese), both with prior convictions for theft and robbery; the latter is wanted by the judiciary under three legal cases related to theft, assault, and injury.
On August 12, 2023, after a thorough surveillance operation, the branch's patrols spotted them in the town of Deir el Qamar in the mentioned vehicle and apprehended them after they attempted to flee from the patrol. This forced the officers to shoot at the tires of the vehicle to stop its movement and arrest them. The vehicle, along with the fake and original plates, and the tools used for theft were confiscated.
During the interrogation, they confessed to the accusations of executing dozens of thefts from inside vehicles after breaking the windows in areas including: Shouf, Deir el Qamar, Hamana, Al Abadiyyeh, Aley, Zahle, Saadnayel, Chtaura, Beit Shama, Khaldeh, Jounieh, Fatroun, Batloun, Wadi al-Jouz, and Meirouba. They also admitted to selling the stolen goods in the Sabra area and splitting the proceeds, as well as stealing license plates from cars in Aramoun and Haret Hreik and placing them on the "Renault" during their theft operations.
The vehicle was legally seized, and the detainees were referred to the relevant judiciary based on directives.
