Muscat: The Royal Oman Police (ROP) has busted a four-member gang of Asians caught forging university degree certificates and medical reports.
The ROP Criminal Investigation Department in Muscat was informed about the gang's illicit business when a number of Asian workers turned up with fake certificates in different places in the country and applied to work as civil engineers.
The ROP formed an investigation team which arrested three Asians and seized a number of seals, ink, medical reports and some fake visas, as well as large amounts of drugs and smuggled cigarettes.
During interrogation, the suspects confessed to the charges. The fourth suspect was arrested later at a different place and a number of fake medical certificates were found in his possession.
Meanwhile, the ROP arrested a man found to be laundering money via the Internet. The crime was reported by one of the local banks saying that the man, using fake credit cards via an internet site, was offering real estate for sale and was able to get hold of 842,717 Omani riyals. The suspect confessed to the charges during interrogation.
Separately, the ROP drug control department held six men on charges of drug trafficking. Of these, two were found to be using a fishing boat to smuggle hashish and heroin to Oman along the Batinah coast. Two more were arrested in Musandam after they received large amounts of narcotics from a smuggler.
