Police: Three men arrested for alleged attempt of international shipment of stolen rental vehicles

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WSMV) – Three men were arrested Thursday after allegedly attempting to ship stolen rental car company vehicles overseas.

Metro Nashville Police said the scheme involved the theft of rental car company vehicles for probable shipment overseas led to the arrest of Abdule Alladin, 34, of Black Jack, Missouri, Rodley Balthazar, 28, of Laurel, Maryland, and Islam Johar, 29, of Woodbridge, Virginia.

Police said they recovered four late models SUVs rented from Nashville area Avis locations by all three men who provided fraudulent identifications.

On Thursday evening, MNPD detectives from the Auto Theft Unit were alerted that a group of persons believed responsible for the theft of dozens of rental vehicles nationally had come to the Nashville area. Metro Police said one of the nine vehicles fraudulently rented during 24 hours, a 2022 Chevrolet Equinox SUV, went from the Avis location on West End Avenue.

With the help of Avis staff, detectives located the Equinox in the 2400 block of Brick Church Pike, according to authorities. However, before detectives approached the SUV, it started to drive away and was soon followed by an MNPD helicopter to a parking lot on N. Gallatin Pike in Madison.

Authorities confirmed the three men inside the Equinox were Alladin, Balthazar, and Johar. Police apprehended them in the parking lot and took them into custody without incident. Police also found three other vehicles fraudulently rented from Avis locations and one car from a Sumner County rental office in the parking lot.

MNPD said the five other vehicles fraudulently rented from this area are believed to have been taken out of state for shipment to Africa.

The three men have all been charged with three counts of vehicle theft each.

The FBI, Hendersonville Police, and MNPD Auto Theft continue the investigation into the three men’s activities.

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