International gang held in Dubai raid
Gang had made about 100m Thai baht after stealing bank accounts in Thailand and other Asian countries
25-member gang stole more than $3m from bank accounts in Asian countries
Dubai Police have arrested a gang of around 25 members who specialised in stealing bank accounts in Thailand and some other Asian countries.
The total money stolen by the gang was about 100 million Thai baht (Dh11.78 million).
Major General Abdullah Khalifa Al Merri, Commander-in-Chief of Dubai Police, praised the fruitful international cooperation with the Thai authorities that led to the arrest.
Maj. Gen. Khalil Ebrahim Al Mansouri, Assistant Commandant of Criminal Affairs at Dubai Police, said the operation began when Dubai Police received information about 24 people of Thai nationality and a person of Taiwan nationality who formed an organised gang specialising in stealing bank accounts in Thailand and some other Asian countries.
The victims (owners of the bank accounts) were deceived to transfer funds from their accounts to fake accounts in some East Asian countries. All victims were from Thailand and some Asian countries.
Maj. Gen. Al Mansouri added that gang members had already been accused of fraud in Thailand, and that they were using modern technology so their crime would appear as an intercontinental crime.
“Immediately after receiving the information, a team of Dubai police was formed to raid and arrest the gang.
After locating their hiding place, which is located in a residential area, our team raided and arrested all members of the gang consisting of men and women with about 150 smart phones and 40 laptops, as well as some technical devices that helped them commit these kinds of crimes.” Maj-Gen Al Mansouri added.
Hiding in residential area
Maj-Gen Al Mansouri said the gang had taken up a hiding place in a residential area to give the impression that they were an Asian family in order to dispel any suspicion around them. Maj-Gen Al Merri said the Dubai Police officers have always been motivated by the vision of His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, to create a society that is secure and safe for all residents.
He added that Dubai Police would use every effort to preserve the security and safety of our community against all risks, whether internally or from abroad.
Moreover, Maj-Gen Al Merri attributed the success of the operation to the directives of Lt. General Shaikh Saif Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior.