The photo has been used for illustrative purposes only.

The Sharjah Criminal Court sentenced a five-member African gang to 15 years’ imprisonment and a fine of Dhs250,000, after they staged an armed robbery on a money exchange centre in Al Taawun Area, and stole Dhs2.3 million.

The incident dates back to March last year when an exchange shop was attacked by four gang members around 11.50pm, who used hammers to smash the front window of the shop. A fifth member of the gang was waiting outside in a vehicle, ready to flee the scene after their big robbery.

After breaking into the shop, the gang attacked the staff with weapons, and forced the branch manager to open the money vault. Then the gang ordered all staff to step aside and stand still. However, the manager followed their orders without hesitation, out of safety concerns for his staff.

The gang then stole an estimated amount of Dhs2.3 million in four different currencies, and immediately fled.

However, the Sharjah Police General Directorate succeeded in nabbing and detaining the five gang members within 48 hours, after they ran away to four emirates.

The defendants confessed to committing the armed robbery, and were awarded with the aforementioned jail sentence and fine.