Image credits: Sharjah Police Headquarters, UAE/Abiyamo Fan resident in Sharjah.
A senior police officer in Sharjah says the gang used fake currency to convince people that they can double their money and make them wealthy beyond belief. During the raid, Sharjah Police recovered $20 million in fake currency with the arrest of three Africans. According to Colonel Ibrahim Al Ajill, Director of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), many unsuspecting residents fell prey to the well-orchestrated scam and many of them had visited the police to complain about illegal activities carried out in an apartment in the Al Nahda area.
Following the tip off, a team of CID officers authenticated their claims and raided the apartment. The raid was successful and the suspects were arrested red-handed with bales of fake currency notes. Original currencies like dollars, euros and dirhams were also recovered from them. They initially denied the fake currency belonged to them saying it was for someone else but later confessed to their crime and how they swindled people.
Sharjah is the capital of the Emirate of Sharjah and is the third largest and third most populous city in the United Arab Emirates, forming part of the Dubai-Sharjah-Ajman metropolitan area.
Prior to the raid, many businessmen had approached the three suspects and gave them their money for doubling. Sharjah Police say two of the suspects came to the UAE on a visit visa while the third one is on a residency visa that was given to him in the name of commercial shop.
An Abiyamo Fan residing in Sharjah has fully confirmed the raid and that was because the Fan stays in the same apartment as the suspects. The Fan was at home around 11.am last Sunday when the police entered his flat commando-style and by the time the dust cleared, they left with three fellow Nigerians who the Fan confirmed were caught with several fake dollars.
All the suspects are Yoruba from southwestern Nigeria. The first suspect is named Dele Ogunde, the other is Biyi and we are still working on getting the full names of the third. Two are from Oyo State while the third is from Ondo State. They remain in the custody of the Sharjah Police according to news agency.