THE millionaire boss of a gang of carjackers who stole, sold and then re-stole vehicles was jailed for four and a half years today.

Nokhiaz Khan, 31, headed a large operation across the home counties which earned him £1.2million over four years.

Police have identified 37 cars and 71 victims, some of whom were lone women drivers subjected to "terrifying thefts". On other occasions the cars would be stolen from victims' drives after the gang broke into their homes to steal the keys.

The gang targeted small cars popular with women, such as Fiat Puntos, Renault Clios and Honda Civics.

They were disguised using new DVLA documents and number plates before being sold through adverts in Exchange and Mart magazine.

The cars would then be stolen back from their new owners and the process repeated up to three times.

Former recovery driver Khan, Michael Kellman, 40, Sonny Sian, 22, along with brothers Paul Pepper, 30, and Wayne Francis, 25, all admitted involvement in the scheme between January 2004 and December 2007.

Passing sentence at Southwark crown court Judge Nicholas Lorraine Smith told Khan: "You were at the very centre and at the head of what was a very sophisticated organisation.

"Criminals do not resort to violently hijacking cars or stealing them if they do not have someone to sell them on to. You were at the centre of an organisation which provided that service."

Khan also pleaded guilty over a £309,000 mortgage fraud in which he pretended to earn more than £60,000 a year to obtain two loans on the four-bedroom home he shared with his girlfriend in Hornchurch, Essex.

Kellman, of Forest Gate, who admitted stealing 10 cars worth about £30,000, was jailed for two years.

Pepper, of East Ham, who has previously been jailed for 12 months for the theft of a £40,000 Porsche Carrera which Khan was still driving, admitted the theft of six cars and was jailed for 15 months.

His brother Wayne Francis, of Romford, and Sian, of Forest Gate, received 36-week sentences suspended for two years. The gang, all of whom have previous convictions involving cars, would meet the new buyers to sell on the stolen vehicles.

Within days the new owners would become victims as Khan and his men would steal back the cars.

The cloned cars were stolen back with relative ease as the gang would tamper with the ignition systems.

The scheme was discovered after the DVLA noticed a large number of applications for logbooks coming from an address in Leyton.

Khan was linked to the property and a search was carried out of his home.

The court heard that police found vehicle logbooks, DVLA documents, car keys and a number plate printer.

Outside court Dc Gavin Smith, from the Met's Stolen Vehicle Unit, said: "This criminal networks has been responsible for some terrifying and violent thefts."

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