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UAE: Police arrest 'fake school' director for collecting fees from over 1,500 parents

Parents were shocked when the institution closed down just a week after the start of the academic term

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An Arab man has been arrested in Ajman after reportedly taking tuition fees from over 1,500 parents — for a school that didn't have a licence.

Several parents filed complaints at the police station, saying they paid the fees and enrolled their kids in the school. But just a week after the start of the academic year, the campus closed down and all its employees, including the director, disappeared, a top police officer said.

It turned out the school's licence had been suspended because it failed to meet the requirements.

Maj Muhammad Al Shaali, head of the Al-Jarf Comprehensive Police Station in Ajman, said investigations showed that the school didn't get the clearance to reopen for the new academic year.

However, the accused, who is in his 40s, disregarded the decision and went on to collect school fees from parents for the new term which started on August 29, Maj Al Shaali said.

The police said the accused had announced the opening of registration for students and presented lucrative offers so that he could attract as many pupils as possible.

Investigations revealed that the man collected the money and also signed on the receipts that he handed over to the parents for the payments. He then shut down the school and fled.

After the probe, the authorities were able to track down the accused and take him into custody.

The man admitted that he had opened the registration for students, even though the school's licence had been revoked. He also confessed that he collected money from more than 1,500 parents.

Major Muhammad Khalfan Al Shaalih urged parents to look into a school's operating licence before enrolling their children. He stressed that the Ajman Police will not tolerate anyone who violates the law.

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• Ajman