Sharjah: The Criminal Investigations Department of Sharjah Police General Command arrested three people of Arab nationality who were involved in robberies. The gang leader resides outside the UAE, police said.
The involvement of the gang came to light when police received two separate complaints from victims of robbery, where the nature of the crime was similar. The victims had been cheated after agreeing to buy cars from the suspects.
Colonel Omar Sultan Bualzoud, Director of the Criminal Investigation Department, explained that the department had received a report from a person, complaining that he had been robbed while he was inside his vehicle. The complainant said that he had arranged with a person residing outside the country to buy a car from him, and after agreeing with him on the price, that person informed him that another person would meet him to receive the agreed amount and complete the purchase. Later, when the buyer came to the designated place in Sharjah to complete the transaction, he [the victim] showed him [suspect] the money while he was in the victim’s car. The suspect then snatched the money and ran off to another car that was parked at a distance, where he was picked up and the vehicle quickly sped out of sight.
Colonel Bualzoud said that a similar complaint had been received by Buhairah Police Station about an incident of robbery in which, the method of operation followed by the robbers was the same as the first incident. Soon, a team of investigative officers began following up on the reports. The police team were able to identity the criminals and arrest three of them. All of them confessed to their crimes and told the police about how they transferred the money to their leader who was outside the country.
Police seized some of the stolen cash from the suspects during the raid and they were referred to Sharjah Public Prosecution for further action.
Col Bualzoud pointed out that the method of the crime used by the gang members was similar. He urged members the public to avoid dealing with unknown persons and with those who use international phone numbers to communicate with them on social networking sites. Community members were advised to secure all personal data and proof of identity while conducting any transaction so as not to fall victim to criminals and fraudsters. Col Bualzoud has also urged the public not to keep with them large amounts of money in cash.
He stressed that all security agencies will continue to deal with such crimes with a heavy hand in order to preserve the security and safety of the community.
