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Watch Dubai bust global gang of bank thieves

By Angel Chan

DUBAI 25 March 2018: Major General Abdullah Khalifa Al Marri, Commander-in-Chief of Dubai Police, praised the fruitful international cooperation with Thai authorities, that led to the arrest of a gang of some 25 who specialized in stealing from bank accounts in Thailand and some other Asian countries.

The total money stolen by the gang was about 100 million Thai Baht (US$3 million)

Al Marri praised the efforts exerted by task forces at the General Department of Criminal Investigations at Dubai Police.

Maj. Gen. Khalil Ibrahim 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 organized criminal gang specializing in stealing bank accounts in Thailand and some other Asian countries through fraud and corruption.

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 with 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.

Maj-Gen Al Mansouri said the gang had taken up a hide place in a residential area to give the impression that they were an Asian family in order to dispel any suspicion around them.