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Gang in Dubai tries to sell $4m fake currencies through social media, arrested

Dubai - The gang members claimed that the bills were original, but with some black marks that could be removed.

The Dubai Police arrested three Africans for allegedly trying to sell $4 million in fake currency. The police also seized some tools, including a bottle of a chemical substance, white powder and a small device that looks like a printer.

Brig Jamal Al Jalaf, director of the Criminal Investigation Department at the Dubai Police, said that the police received a tipoff that three African visitors were in possession of around $4 million in fake currency and were planning to sell it in the Deira area.

The police prepared a plan to trap the suspects after locating their whereabouts.

The investigating team send a decoy to convince them that he is willing to buy the entire money for Dh100,000. The gang told the buyer that the dollars were original but had a black substance that could be removed using specific chemical substance.

The gang accepted the offer and fixed a date to exchange the money at a villa in Jumeirah. The police conducted an ambush on the villa and arrested the gang members red-handed with a bag containing 2 million counterfeit dollars.

The official added that the perpetrators were searching for potential customers on social media and published posts indicating that they had a large amount of dollars with black material for sale.

Colonel Omar bin Hammad, acting director of the Economic Crime Control Department, said: “The police’s vigilance prevented the gang from completing its scheme, especially since they claimed that those dollars were genuine and just had a black substance. They even showed the customers that the black colour on the currency could be removed by using a specific chemical.

"The police agent who posed as a customer was given a $100 bill for verification and it turned out to be a valid currency. This was the gang’s trick to make the victim believe that all the dollar bills are real,” he added.

Bin Hammad added that a bottle containing a chemical substance and a bag containing white powder were found in the suspects’ residence. During interrogation, the suspects admitted to making fake currencies for profits. The police seized the counterfeit money and referred the accused to the public prosecution.