As reported by the Telegram channel “Patrol Police of Kyiv”, one of these groups was arrested on the night of February 28 on Marshal Malinovsky Street. Two criminals tried to flee, but they were caught. Under one of the cars, law enforcement officers found an angle grinder and tools, and in the thieves' own car – a catalytic converter that they had previously stolen from a Honda car near the Kharkivska metro station.
Another group was detained a few days earlier on Natalia Uzhviy Street. Patrol officers stopped three suspicious people, one of whom had a bag with hydraulic straightening tools. The police also inspected the suspicious individuals' car, where they found other tools. Then law enforcement officers examined the surrounding area and, as it turned out, not in vain: a cut catalytic converter was found on a parked Lexus.
In both the first and second cases, patrol officers called an investigative-operational group.
It is worth noting that the first known case of catalytic converter theft occurred in Ukraine in mid-January: then in Kyiv, an expensive part was cut off from a Hyundai Tucson crossover. A month later, a similar incident in the capital happened with a Honda CR-V crossover.
Initially, the trend of catalytic converter theft appeared in Europe and the USA two to three years ago: criminals hunt for precious metals contained in these parts - rhodium, palladium, and platinum. However, the content of these metals in catalytic converters is extremely small, but apparently, this does not stop lovers of easy money.
