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Abandoned Cars a Sign of the Times?

DUBAI - More than 80 vehicles found abandoned at the Dubai International Airport recently may have been left by people fleeing the country, apparently because they couldn’t repay loans after losing their jobs, according to police officials.

The Director of the General Department of Airport Security, Mohammed bin Thani, said 60 cars were seized recently.

Another 22 were seized by Dubai Police when they were found abandoned in a prohibited area in the airport, according to Colonel Saif Mohair Al Mazroui, Deputy Director of Traffic Department.

Col Saif said police noted the increase in the number of abandoned cars in the airport after the recent lay-offs by companies due to the economic downturn. “Police found that owners of some of the cars had dumped them in the airport parking lots after they failed to pay the loan instalments, and travelled to their countries,” he said.

However, Bin Thani said the evidence that the cars had been abandoned by loan defaulters was still not conclusive. He said the airport authorities had contacted banks and financial institutions to check whether the seized cars were purchased on loans.

Al Mazroui said more than 455 vehicles had been seized by the General Department of Criminal Investigation over the last year. “The seizure of cars came as part of traffic police crackdown on offending drivers who parked their cars in prohibited areas in Dubai International Airport,” he said.

Bin Thani said the capacity of the parking lots at Dubai International Airport was 6,000 vehicles.