Sharjah: Sharjah Police returned the cash an Egyptian man had withdrawn but could not get from an ATM six months ago, police said on Tuesday.
Khalid Al Saeed Abdaljeed, an employee of a real estate company, told Gulf News that he had stopped at an ATM in Ansar Mall in Sharjah on December 27 last year to withdraw money.
Abdaljeed, 34, said he keyed in Dh5,000 to withdraw but the amount displayed was less.
“I pressed the cancel button twice before leaving and did not realise that the money was dispensed and the transaction was successful.
“After a few minutes, I received an SMS from the bank saying that Dh5,000 had been withdraw from my account. I returned to the ATM but did not find the money.
“The next day, I went to the bank to which the ATM belonged but they told me that they had nothing to do with the issue and I had to contact my bank.
“Then I went to my bank and they told me to contact the Central Bank to resolve the issue. After 90 days, the Central Bank told me they could not inspect the CCTV footage without a police complaint.”
Abdaljeed then approached Al Buhairah police station and lodged a complaint.
Abdaljeed said: “I had lost hope of getting the money back but, in fact, Sharjah Police had done a wonderful job … I appreciate their efforts.
“The police contacted me when they inspected the CCTV footage.
The camera showed an Asian man, who was standing behind me, taking the money and keeping it in his pocket before leaving the ATM.”
Following investigation, the police managed to arrest the Asian suspect and recovered the amount.
“In June this year, the police contacted me and asked me to visit them to collect my money. It was a big surprise to get my money after six months.
“I thank Sharjah Police for their great job, especially the CID who handled my case.”
