Sharjah Police warn against 'exaggerated' reports of car thefts on social media

Some local media outlets took the report seriously.

An audio clip of a man warning residents about a gang that targets cars has been slammed by Sharjah Police.   
In an official statement issued on Friday, the police denied rumours of a car thefts gang in Sharjah being circulated on social media and local news outlets.     
Colonel Ibrahim Al Ajal, director of the criminal investigation department at Sharjah Police, confirmed: "After examining the recording, we found his claims to be untrue." 

 

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He called on all members of the community, the leaders of the social media sites and the media not to publish or circulate such news before verifying its source. 
In the clip, the man said that two cars parked in front of the Sharjah Family Court had been robbed of their contents that included money and personal documents, reported Al Ittihad.
He stated that the gang was organised and would monitor their victims prior to the theft. They would use a special device to break the windows.   
Sharjah Police confirmed the robberies but denied all details which the man related in the recording.
They added, "He greatly exaggerated the facts. There is no gang which robbed the vehicles. There was only one incident of such a theft reported to the authorities. We are doing what we can to bring the perpetrator to justice." 
The incident referred to in the recordings happened in Al Hazana area, police confirmed. 
"Such audio recordings published on social media sites greatly exaggerate such incidents and are factually flawed," Sharjah police warned. 
Thefts from vehicles have declined in recent periods, and police awareness campaigns continue to be carried out in this regard.

• Sharjah