Three men have been arrested in part of a crackdown on a gang who are believed to have stolen more than 20 high-value cars in burglaries.
Officers from GMP's Serious and Organised Crime unit, specialist Tactical Aid Unit officers, vehicle interceptors and the dog unit swooped on the suspects last night (Wednesday).
Three men were spotted attaching false plates to an Audi A3, GMP said.
The M.E.N understands that an unmarked police vehicle followed the Audi, leading them to Lees Street in Openshaw.
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There, at around 11pm, the three suspects - aged 52, 30 and 28 - were arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to commit burglary.
Neighbours then reported seeing a huge police presence at the scene as part of the carefully planned operation.
Pictures showed Tactical Aid Unit vans and several police vehicles on Lees Street.
One local residents said it 'was crazy' to see such a big police presence.
They said: “There was a lot of shouting going on so we went to see what was happening.
“It was crazy seeing all these police cars and officers everywhere.
“It’s strange to think there are people close by who can be arrested for this.”
Another resident added: “I was sat inside and suddenly loads of police turned up, everyone went out to see what was going on.
“No one had any idea what was going on.”
Another said: “There was a lot of shouting going on so we went to see what was happening.
“It was crazy seeing all these police cars and officers everywhere.
“It’s strange to think there are people close by who can be arrested for this.”
The Audi, which was believed to have been stolen from Bacup in Lancashire a month ago, was recovered from the scene.
Police launched Operation Taurus in late January after a number of reports of burglaries since Christmas were received.
At least 20 vehicles have been reported stolen from across the region believed to be linked to the operation.
On one evening in January, reports were made in Harpurhey Middleton and Stalybridge - all believed to be linked.
Detectives are continuing to question the three suspects and the investigation is ongoing.
Detective Inspector Roger Smethurst, from GMP's SOCG, said: "These arrests are a result of months of work going on behind the scenes and are a huge step in our drive to bring burglaries down and find those responsible.
"Some of the work officers are doing can't always be seen for operational reasons and last night's arrests are an example of this after weeks of enquiries being followed up.
"The operation doesn't stop here and we will work to return stolen vehicles to their rightful owners and bring those responsible to justice.
"Anyone with information about burglaries or anything suspicious can call 101, report it online or by using our LiveChat service at www.gmp.police.uk."
