Abu Dhabi: A gang of real estate fraudsters has been arrested for cheating residents in the capital of about Dh560,000, the Abu Dhabi Police said in a statement sent on Saturday.
The six suspects of Arab origin had sublet apartments to tenants, collected the rent, and disappeared without paying the landlord.
The police warned residents against falling victim to unauthorised and fraudulent real estate agents and brokers, who look to prey upon unwitting customers.
Speaking about the case, Brigadier Ahmad Al Muhairi, director of the Capital Police Directorate, said the particular gang of fraudsters had misappropriated funds amounting to Dh560,000 from a number of people. Some of those who had been cheated complained to the police, and a team was then formed to track the gang down.
The suspects took villas directly from the landlords on rent after giving post-dated cheques. They then sublet the units to tenants at low rents, and made each of them pay the entire rent at one go. After receiving the funds, they disappeared without paying the landlords.
Lieutenant Hamad Al Afari, director of Al Rawdah police station, said the police had received complaints on the fraudulent activity from across the emirate.
Following the arrest, the gang members were identified by victims, and they have now been referred to the Public Prosecution for legal action.
Brig Al Muhairi warned residents not to fall prey to fraudulent real estate and rental advertisements on websites, or advertisements on social media channels. He urged people to abide by the regulations on leasable units, as governed by the municipal Tawtheeq registration system in Abu Dhabi.
Tenants should try to deal directly with landlords. When dealing with a real estate agent, they should ask to see the real estate licence, which is provided to all authorised agents by the Department of Municipal Affairs and Transport, Brig Al Muhairi said.
