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Dubai Police net gang of ‘elite’ thieves, recover stolen goods

The suspects, three men from Europe, were able to fool the security guards at most gated communities with their elegant appearance.

The Dubai Police have succeeded in nabbing a gang specialised in stealing goods from luxury villas in several areas of Dubai.

The gang had left for their home country following a series of thefts in Dubai. A source at the Dubai Police said experts from the General Department of Criminal Investigation lured the gang back to Dubai and caught them red-handed. The police also recovered the stolen items, jewellery and cash estimated at Dh10 million.

Police investigation showed that the suspects, three men from Eastern Europe, were able to fool the security guards at most gated communities with their elegant appearance and style. They also went in hired luxury cars which helped them gain entry into the premises of the villas. They mostly targeted villas while the inhabitants were away. After committing the crime, the gang often went to a relative’s house in Abu Dhabi.

The source said the Dubai Police received several complaints of thefts from March last year from residents of villas. The police studied the modus operandi in all the incidents and came to the conclusion that the thefts were committed by the same gang. Moreover, security guards at every villa claimed that no stranger had entered the premises thus compounding the finding that the crimes were committed by the same gang.

On suspecting three Eastern Europeans who had left the country, the police tracked their records and it was revealed that one of the suspects had been detained in his country for being involved in a crime. He was released recently.

The Dubai Police then formulated a plan to lure the gang back to Dubai. The plan succeeded, the thieves returned and they came under the surveillance of the Dubai Police.

The gang soon hired a luxury vehicle from a rental company in Dubai and drove to a community of villas in Dubai.

The suspects, all formally dressed, including with neckties, confidently entered the compound and committed the theft. They then drove down to Abu Dhabi and rented rooms at a luxury hotel. They later visited the villa where the sister of one of the gang members lived with her husband, a GCC national.

The Dubai Police, in coordination with the Abu Dhabi police, raided the sister’s villa and arrested them. During interrogation, they confessed to all thefts. It was revealed that the sister and the husband were also aware on the thefts. All the stolen items found in the villa were recovered by the police.

The police also seized the car used in the robbery. A bag containing tools to break open doors was found in the car.

The three Eastern Europeans, the sister and her husband were referred to the Dubai Public Prosecution. The source thanked the Abu Dhabi Police for their cooperation and praised the efforts of the Dubai research and investigation team in tracking the culprits and luring them back into the country.

amira@khaleejtimes.com