Dubai: Last Saturday, Shanwaz Khan Zein Al Abedein was driving on Damascus Street in Al Ghusais Industrial Area on his way to the bank when he saw a man snatch a packet from another man’s hand and flee.
“I saw money falling out of the packet. When people started running after the man, I realised he was a thief,” Zein Al Abedein said at a press conference held by Dubai Police on Wednesday, where he was praised for his courage and honoured for his actions.
“He [the thief] was carrying two packets and was running so fast that no one seemed able to catch him. I overtook him in my car and waited for him to reach me. I caught him and overpowered him with the help of the people chasing him. We then called the police,” Zein Al Abedein, a 33-year-old Indian, said.
Zein Al Abedein is a businessman and a partner in an electronics company and a Dubai resident for eight years.
Asked why he came to the victim’s aid, Zein Al Abedein recalled that he was also on his way to the bank and thought at the time that if this were happening to him, he would also appreciate citizens’ assistance.
Colonel Dr Adel Al Suwaidi, Director of Al Ghusais Police Station, said that the incident took place at around 1pm on Saturday.
“The victim, who works for a general trading company, had just withdrawn Dh320,000 from a bank in the area. When he was driving back to the office, he heard one of [the] back tyres burst at the intersection.”
He said that the victim called his manager at work and informed him that his tyre has burst. The manager told him to drive back to the office as it was in the vicinity.
“When the victim got out of the car near the office, he had the packet in his arm. As he was checking the tyre, the thief snatched the packet from his arms and ran away,” Col Al Suwaidi said.
He said that what Zein Al Abedein did was heroic and that he was was honoured at Al Ghusais police station on the orders of the Dubai Police Chief, Major General Khamis Mattar Al Mazeina, and Major General Khalil Ebrahim Al Mansouri, Assistant to the Dubai Police Chief for Criminal Investigation Affairs.
“It was really something that a complete stranger came to our employee’s help," Michael Alumkal, Commercial Manager at Silex General Trading, told Gulf News. "Without him we might have lost the money for good, even if police caught the man later. It was like he was an angel sent to help us.”
Silex General Trading also honoured Al Abedein at their offices as a sign of their appreciation.
Col Al Suwaidi added that what Al Abedein did is an example of what Dubai Police encourage, as everyone should be a citizen of the police.
“We are all police. Every member of the public should report any suspicious activity to the police, and Dubai Police have many channels in which people can report any violations or suspicions,” he said.
The thief was identified as an Asian man, who was on a short visit visa to the UAE.
He entered the country for a first-time visit on November 11.
Police said he was working on his own and had no partners.
