Dubai: Dubai Police arrested 3,220 wanted suspects and recovered Dh2.5 billion in criminally obtained property from them in the first two months of 2018, officials said on Thursday.
These most-wanted people were involved in financial crimes, Col Saeed Al Ayali, director of Wanted People Department at Dubai Police, said.
Dubai Police have teams specialised in tracking down suspects and they are deployed across the country.
“There is positive cooperation between the public and police. People provided us with tips that led to many arrests,” he said.
The department also helped catch 47 people wanted by other countries this year and handed over 18 suspects while the red warrants issued by Dubai Police helped return 14 wanted suspects to the UAE.
Six of the suspects were wanted for murders in their home countries.
Col Al Ayali said there was a 22 per cent increase in the number of wanted people arrested in Dubai in 2017 compared to 2016.
“As many as 16,395 wanted suspects were arrested last year and Dh7 billion recovered from them, compared to 13,398 wanted suspects nabbed in 2016 and Dh5.1 billion recovered. We coordinate with all police stations to organise regular campaigns to catch wanted people in the emirate,” he said.
Dubai Police arrested 241 internationally wanted suspects in 2017 compared to 227 suspects in 2016.
“The suspects had Interpol arrest warrants against them for criminal and financial cases. We handed over 68 wanted suspects to their countries last year.”
Col Al Ayali said that the most wanted suspect of all who was arrested this year was a Pakistani national suspected of killing a medical student in his home country. Mujahid Afridi allegedly shot Asma Rani three times outside her home in Kohat in January. Afridi, 25, killed the third-year medical student in Abbottabad and was arrested in Dubai on March 10 before being handed over to Pakistan with the help of Interpol. He escaped from Pakistan and travelled to several countries before he was arrested in Dubai.
The CID also got the Interpol to issue 202 red corner notices last year compared to 178 warrants in 2016.
In 2017, Dubai Police arrested an Arab national in financial cases involving Dh388 million and another for Dh129 million worth of financial cases.
Electronic record
Dubai Police teams are equipped with an electronic programme that lists the wanted people. Some people were caught on arrival at the airport and some were tracked inside the country with the cooperation of other police departments.
“We refer them to court with their extradition file and the judge issues an order whether to extradite them or not,” Col Al Ayali said.
In numbers
- 3,220 wanted suspects arrested in 2018 in financial cases involving Dh2.5 billion
- 47 wanted suspects from their countries arrested in 2018
- 18 wanted suspects were extradited
- 14 suspects were returned to the UAE
- 16,395 wanted suspects arrested in 2017 for Dh7 billion in financial cases
- 13,398 wanted suspects arrested in 2016 for Dh5.1 billion in financial cases
- Dubai Police issued 202 red warrants in 2017 compared to 178 red warrants in 2016
