Dubai: A crackdown by Al Ghusais Police Station resulted in the arrest of 147 thieves and outlaws in 12 days, most of which were staying in the UAE illegally.
The campaign, launched on March 22, was a result of the theft reports in Ghusais, Lieutenant Colonel Aref Bu Shagar said.
A team was set up to investigate the thefts, and it was found out that the crimes were committed by a number of Asian men, who used to cycle in the area at night, thus the operation was dubbed ‘The Bicycles Operation’.
The offenders used to cycle around Al Ghusais late at night wearing reflective safety jackets, to make people think they were workers at the companies in the area.
While taking their nightly tour, they would look for potential targets in industrial and residential areas, Lt Col Bu Shagar said, adding that some of them would steal from vehicles, while others would look inside construction sites for cables and wires. The operation resulted in seizing a number of bicycles and arresting 147 people in just 12 days. Out of the arrested suspects, 36 were involved in 24 cases and 45 were violators of the residency law.
Brigadier Khalil Ebrahim Al Mansouri, Head of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), said the experience and knowledge of officers and policemen helped unveil this case in which the offenders resorted to the trick of wearing safety reflective jackets to hide their intentions.
Brig Al Mansouri said the issue of stealing electric cables has to be tackled from all aspects, the first of which is the high price of metals, which tempts low-income workers and violators of the residency law to commit theft, while the second is the owners who leave precious commodities unattended and make the thieves’ job easier.
He urged people to protect their belongings by storing them in safe places and if necessary hire guards.
Blood money paid
Lieutenant General Dahi Khalfan Tamim, Dubai Police Chief, ordered the payment of blood money for a Filipino inmate who completed his sentence in 2009 but was still in jail as he could not pay the blood money.
The money will be paid from the humanitarian aid budget of Dubai Police on behalf of Joseph Magalonga Apotan, who embraced Islam last year. Apotan caused the death of his wife in a car accident and completed his jail term in 2009, but his wife’s family refused to drop their right to blood money.
——–Agencies