Sharjah: Police have arrested three men suspected of breaking into 54 vehicles, mostly taxis, and stealing all of their contents in under two minutes.
A senior official at Sharjah Police told Gulf News on Sunday that they previously received dozens of complaints about residents' vehicles being broken into and having their mobile phones and money stolen.
Lieutenant Colonel Yousuf Al Naqbi, Director of Criminal and Investigation Department (CID) at Sharjah Police, said that two of the suspects had prior criminal records. He explained that an investigation was started after receiving the complaints, and that police were able to arrest a UAE national identified as A.E.D.
The suspect confessed that he had stolen from vehicles with the help of his two partners, identified as S.R.O. and S.G.A., both of whom did not have legal documents.
"The suspects confessed that they broke into 54 cars, mostly taxis, which were parked in residential areas including Abu Shagara," said Lieutenant Colonel Al Naqbi.
After the confession, police raided the home of the first suspect and found seven mobile phones and electronic items, in addition to masks and knives.
Police also found sharp tools in the vehicle of the second suspect, S.R.O., which he allegedly used when breaking the vehicles' windows. The suspect's vehicle also contained other stolen items that included gold, cash, wallets and laptops.
According to police, the gang had already sold a large number of mobile phones to second hand shops.
"Residents are warned not to leave any valuables inside their cars, such as money or laptops, as this will attract unnecessary attention. The men we arrested were professionals, and they were able to steal all the car's contents in under two minutes," said Lieutenant Colonel Al Naqbi.
