A stolen luxury Bentley has been found in the port city of Karachi, Pakistan – almost 5,000 miles away from its home in London.
A search and tip off initiated by the UK National Crime Agency led Karachi authorities to a bungalow in the city.
Armed with a court order, officials raided the home and found the Bentley Mulsanne parked on the driveway.
In a statement, the Federal Board of Revenue Collectorate of Customs in Pakistan said it had received “credible information” from a “friendly country” about the grey luxury car’s whereabouts.
Officials told Sky News: “On the information we mounted a surveillance, procured a search warrant and found the car in the drive covered with a light grey cloth.”
The vehicle had been taken to Pakistan on fake documents of a European diplomat, and was found with forged registration plates, one of which was handmade.
Authorities managed to identify the car by its chassis number.
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Officials said that those involved in the theft failed to remove or switch off the tracing tracker in the Bentley, which helped authorities pinpoint its exact location.
The Bentley Mulsanne V8 is a flagship car of the British motor company, and is worth upwards of £240,000, making it the brand’s largest and most expensive handcrafted saloon.
Customs officials told Sky News that the Pakistani owner was asked to present legal documents, to which he said: “The seller guaranteed me he would clear all liabilities and papers from concerned authorities by November.”
Customs have since seized the vehicle, and it is now parked in a compound, where Sky News found it to be in good condition.
The owner of the property where the Bentley was found, Jameel Shafi, has been taken into custody while authorities continue to search for the mastermind, who works at the motor registration authority.
Police have launched an investigation into the forged import documents and a loss of $1.3 million (£1.12m) in taxes to the exchequer.
