Conman who swindled over Dh100m held

sharjah — A most wanted international scamster, who conned people by posing as an established steel trader, was arrested by the Sharjah Police on Saturday. He is accused of having defrauded several people not only in the emirate but across the world and stolen about Dh110 million in all until now. According to a Criminal Investigation Department officer, the suspect is on the most wanted list of many countries.

The accused would first convince people by saying that he would invest their money in steel business. He posed as a steel trader who imported the metal from some Middle Eastern countries for more profit.

Major Abdullah Suliman, Head of the CID at the Central Region, said that the conman would talk to the victims in a very professional manner using business jargons. The accused would pose as a successful investor in steel and scrap deals and convinced many to pay him money in order to invest it in the steel deals. However, he would just take their cash and disappear to an unknown place.

Major Abdullah Suliman, in fact, described the suspect’s modus operandi as being similar to that of an infamous European conman who undertook scams in various countries and became best known as ‘the man who sold the Eiffel Tower’.

On receiving a number of complaints from people who were conned by the man, the police formed a special team to investigate the case. During the investigation, they found out that the suspect was wanted by the Interpol. Police departments across the UAE issued 25 arrest warrants against him. The team found out that the suspect was in the country and arrested him. During interrogation, the suspect confessed to all his criminal adventures inside and outside the country.

afkarali@khaleejtimes.com