Abu Dhabi: "My money was snatched right out of my hand and my savings were lost within seconds. All the hard work and pain behind earning has gone waste," said Anri Meier, the victim of a theft that happened just minutes after she came out of a bank with money she had withdrawn.
The theft happened five days before Meier was set to leave the UAE for good to return to South Africa, her home country, after quitting her job.
However, almost three weeks after the incident, she is still in the country caught up with helping the authorities solve the crime.
Cash withdrawal
"I am in a horrible situation; I am stuck in the UAE, with no cash."
Nevertheless, she is determined to put the criminal who landed her in this situation behind bars, she said.
The crime took place on January 25, around noon, after Meier withdrew Dh50,000 from a bank on Airport Road.
"I counted the money at the cash counter of the bank and placed it in my handbag within an envelope."
She then walked to the front of the bank building to hail a cab.
"As I was waiting, I reached into my handbag to answer a call on my mobile. At that moment, a man snatched the envelope with the money from within my bag and ran away," she told Gulf News.
She screamed for help, but the man disappeared between the buildings, she said while standing at the spot where it happened.
An Abu Dhabi police official said that the Shabiya police station is investigating the case.
"I was told that at least eight similar thefts that occurred in the same area are being investigated by Shabiya police station currently," Meier said.
She requested bank authorities to further improve security measures for customers to prevent such cases happening again.
When contacted, the bank did not comment about the particular case, but said that they had recently concluded a customer information campaign to educate customers about the dangers of drawing cash in large amounts.
Alternatives
"Cashiers are trained to advise customers on the many alternatives the bank provides for moving large amounts of cash, including internet bank transfers, bulk cash delivery, Cash in Transit (CIT) carrier, credit transfer and telegraphic transfer," a bank official said.
If a customer must withdraw large sums of cash we advise them to collect it from the branch with a colleague rather than alone.
It is also advisable to secure the money in the boot of the car, where it is out of sight and less accessible to criminals, the official said.
