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UAE: Gang accused of stealing vehicles worth Dh6.35m

Ajman - 55 stolen vehicles have been recovered so far.

A gang of six Arabs and Asians were sentenced to jail, while 19 others were acquitted by the Ajman Criminal Court, on charges of stealing cars worth Dh6.35 million and smuggling them outside the UAE.

According to police records, the case dated back to April 2020 when the Ajman Police carried out an operation, in cooperation with the police from other Arab countries, titled ‘The container of the darkness’. They managed to recover 55 stolen vehicles and are trying to trace the other missing ones.

“The gang was divided into two groups with each having separate roles in the crime. Members of the first group entered the UAE on visit visas and rented vehicles from firms. They then handed the vehicles over to the second group who arranged to ship the vehicles outside the country,” an official explained about the gangs' mode of operation.

The gangs shipped 28 vehicles to an Arab country in containers and presented documents to the port authorities, stating that it was home appliances inside the containers.

The police immediately formed a team to investigate the matter. They managed to identify 12 suspects who were arrested from various emirates, while two other gang members fled the country.

The suspects confessed to their crimes and told the police that they had 17 vehicles in their possession inside the UAE and were in the process of shipping them out. "The suspects said they had already sent 38 vehicles to another country, using documents that indicated the containers carried home appliances. Usually, such containers are not subjected to inspection.”

The police contacted Ajman port authorities, and with their help, seized 17 vehicles before they were shipped. The police also contacted the country where the vehicles were shipped to and informed them about the containers with false documents resulting in the recovery of 38 more vehicles.

The official added that the police coordinated with Interpol to apprehend the other two suspects and arrested the other accused who masterminds of the entire operation.