Photo has been used for illustrative purpose.

Somaya Saad, Staff Reporter

The Anti-Economic Crimes Department at the Dubai Police, within less than an hour, arrested an African gang on charges of defrauding with counterfeit $15 million.

Brigadier General Jamal Al Jallaf, director of the Anti-Economic Crimes Department at Dubai Police, said the Department is keen to catch the perpetrators of economic crimes through accurate and quick action.

He praised the efforts of the Department in dealing with crimes professionally and quickly and the quick arrest of the suspects to enhance security and safety.

Colonel Salah Bo Assiba, Director of the Department for Anti-Economic Crimes Department said the details of the case date back to an earlier time when the department received reliable information from an Arab stating that Africans contacted him from outside the UAE, claiming they had a glass company and that they owned $15million in their country, which they wanted to invest in the UAE in return for the same amount in dirhams.

They added the amount would be smuggled through their representatives inside the UAE.

Bo Assiba added that the Arab person pretended that he accepted the offer and they sent him $1,500,000 in exchange for Dhs1 million and he continued to communicate with them under the eyes of the police.

“After verifying the available information, the Department formed a working team of specialists in the Anti-Economic Crimes Department to track down the fraudsters. The team set a trap to arrest them red-handed,” Bo Assiba indicated.

Bo Assiba explained that the team set an accurate plan, where they contacted the gang members and met them in the office of the reporting person.  At the same time, at about 8pm, the security team raided the place and arrested them with the counterfeit $15 million.

On being interrogated, they confessed they planned to defraud using the amount seized.

They were charged with fraud to seize the money from others, so they were referred to the Public Prosecution.