Dubai: Thirteen members of four gangs behind a foiled attempt to smuggle 46 luxury cars worth Dh11 million out of the country were arrested by police, a top official said on Saturday.
Major General Abdullah Khalifa Al Merri, Commander in Chief of Dubai Police, said that the suspects, from different nationalities, entered the country on visit visas to steal fancy cars and then smuggle them out of the UAE in shipping containers.
#News | #DubaiPolice apprehend four gangs for stealing 46 luxury cars worth Dh11 millions. All thanks to the professional team work of #Dubai Police’s General Department of Criminal Investigation.#YourSecurityOurHappiness #SmartSecureTogether pic.twitter.com/laFOJLOp2f
— Dubai Policeشرطة دبي (@DubaiPoliceHQ) July 7, 2018
“We arrested all members of those gangs that used latest technology to steal the cars. Our officers foiled the attempt to smuggle 46 cars outside the country in containers,” Maj Gen Al Merri said.
The four gangs stole the cars from different emirates, and cooperation between the police departments of Dubai, Sharjah and Ajman helped to nab the suspects and recover the vehicles.
Major-General Khalil Ebrahim Al Mansouri, Assistant Commander-in-Chief for Criminal Investigation Affairs of Dubai Police, said the data analysis centre spotted car robberies in various emirates and found that the gangs all had the same modus operandi.
Meanwhile, Lt Colonel Adel Al Joker, Director of Criminal Investigation Department (CID) at Dubai Police, told Gulf News they arrested 13 suspects in this operation in cooperation with Sharjah and Ajman police.
“The data centre analysed the criminals’ modus operandi and after investigations, we discovered that different gangs stole the fancy cars using latest technology. They were re-progamming the cars’ systems and tried to smuggle them outside the country,” Lt Col Al Joker said.
The police found 30 cars in containers in a port and a warehouse in Al Awir. Also, 12 cars were seized from Sharjah and Ajman and four cars were used by suspects.
“They stole different cars like Bentley, Mercedes, Lexus, Rolls Royce, Patrol worth Dh11 million. They had hidden the stolen cars in containers. Each container was carrying two cars,” Lt Col Al Joker added.
All the suspects have been referred to Dubai public prosecution, he added.
