Dubai: Al Ghusais police station settled cheque cases involving Dh144.2 million last year, while the total amount involved in cases related to cheque irregularities was Dh1.1 billion, the director of the station said.
Most of the cases registered at the police station related to cheque irregularities, with 8,295 cheque complaints received.
Brigadier Yousuf Al Adedi, director of Al Ghusais police station, said the smart system of Dubai Police for banks and companies has eased the procedure to open a case without the need to go to a police station.
Officers at the station have prepared a report outlining ways to prevent or reduce bounced cheque cases.
“Most of the cheque cases were related to commercial and property transactions. We recorded 8,295 cases worth Dh1.1 billion. We have a study to reduce the number of bounced cheque cases. It recommends that banks must coordinate with authorities concerned to study the condition of the company and its capital before issuing chequebooks,” Brig Al Adedi said.
Some bounced cheques were issued by scam artists to con people who sold their vehicles. Several people had been duped of their cars by the cheats who would hand them cheques that would bounce later.
One such case involved a Gulf national who used to visit the targeted victims with two other men in a luxury car. After bargaining, he would buy the car and hand over a cheque for the amount and transfer the vehicle’s registration to his name.
“He usually bought the cars on Thursdays. He would sell the cars immediately to others. The con man was wanted in eight such cases in other areas in Dubai and he was sentenced to three years in jail in one of the cases. He was arrested and referred to the Public Prosecution,” Brig Al Adedi said.
He urged people to stay vigilant and not to transfer their vehicle’s ownership until such time that they were able to collect their money.
80% drop in people visiting police stations
After the smart services were introduced on Dubai Police website and smart application, the number of customers visiting police stations has dropped by 80 per cent, Brigadier Al Adedi said. “By 2021, the number of people visiting police stations will decline by 95 per cent.”
