A ‘PROLIFIC’ gang of thieves stole nearly £3 million worth of cars during a spree of burglaries.

Seven men and one woman broke into people’s homes at night to steal their car keys before making off with their cars, usually prestige models such as Range Rovers, BMWs and Mercedes.

Operation Brasshand targeted the “brazen” gang who committed over 120 offences between March 2015 and August 2016.

Heena Bux, 21, of Walwood Road, Leytonstone, and Khuram Zaman, 20, of Violet Road, Walthamstow, were part of the gang that exported some of the vehicles to Africa.

The criminals, who disguised themselves as minicab drives, also used key programming technology to steal cars - a technique often referred to as “keyless car theft”.

They were busted in August 2016 after a pub in Manor Park, E12, run by the father of the gang's ringleader, Manjit Sandhu, was raided. Police found stolen car keys, a key programming device, 'blank' keys and a tool for picking vehicle locks.

Sandhu, 32, of Fairlawns Close, Hornchurch, was not present at the time of the raid but was arrested soon after. Other members of the gang were arrested in raids at their homes where more keys for stolen cars were found.

Sandhu went on to commit an offence on the same day that he received a suspended sentence for involvement in the theft of a vehicle. That incident is not related to this case.

Sandhu, Bux, Zaman, Islam and Cairns were found guilty of the offences below at Southwark Crown Court on Monday, March 6. Mahmood, Khan and Bhariwala had previously pleaded guilty to the below offences.

All eight are due to be sentenced at Southwark Crown Court on April 11 and 12.

Manjit Sandhu was found guilty of conspiracy to commit burglary and conspiracy to steal.

Heena Bux was found guilty of conspiracy to commit burglary and conspiracy to steal.

Sufiyan Mahmood, 19, of Stracey Road, Forest Gate, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit burglary and conspiracy to steal.

Khuram Zaman was found guilty of conspiracy to commit burglary and conspiracy to steal.

Faisal Khan, 23, of Chestnut Avenue, Forest Gate, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit burglary and conspiracy to steal.

Mohammed Islam, 21, of Knox Road, Forest Gate, was found guilty of conspiracy to commit burglary and conspiracy to steal.

Humzah Bhariwala, 23, of Dunbar Road, Forest Gate, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit burglary.

Geoffrey Cairns, 55, of Swindon Lane, Romford, was found guilty of conspiracy to commit burglary, having already pleaded guilty to conspiracy to steal.

Detective Inspector Caroline Clooney, who leads the Met's Organised Vehicle Crime Unit, said: "This was an extremely prolific and well-organised criminal gang. They brought distress to many victims whose homes they broke into, who not only lost their vehicles but in many cases were traumatised by the thought of someone having been in their house while they slept.

"Almost all of the houses that were burgled had uPVC front doors that had not been double locked, allowing the offenders to gain entry very quickly using simple tools. I would urge all householders to ensure that their front door is correctly locked at night.”