Thieves target designer shoes at UAE mosques during Ramadan

Ajman/ Sharjah - Police have instructed imams to arrange closets with locks at mosque entrances.

Undercover cops deployed at gates of Sharjah and Ajman mosques during prayer times have nabbed thieves who have been targeting expensive shoes with unique designs, not available in the UAE markets. These designs are duplicated to make other shoes after which they are sold abroad, the police have revealed.
An Ajman Police official pointed out that since the beginning of the holy month of Ramadan, undercover cops have been keeping a close watch on shady elements at the mosque gates. Many thieves have been caught red-handed, he said. "The thieves confessed that they were stealing only expensive shoes with unique designs," said the police source.
Police have instructed imams to arrange closets with locks at mosque entrances and to advise worshippers not to wear expensive shoes when they come to pray.
The number of thefts of shoes and valuables during Ramadan has come down as compared to last year, thanks to surveillance cameras and intensified police patrols that include undercover cops, who are always on the lookout for suspicious movements, a Sharjah Police official pointed out.
He said: "We have intensified patrols during Taraweeh prayers around mosques to prevent the thefts of shoes and valuables in cars parked in the parking lots. A campaign to raise public awareness about not leaving valuables inside vehicles is also being carried out by the Public Relations and Moral Guidance Section of the police."
Police patrolling has been increased in crowded areas, especially near mosques, in order to prevent such thefts. Seventy per cent of the theft cases were reported by the people, while 30 per cent were detected by police patrols monitoring the areas, he added.