Dubai gang arrested for snatching woman's bag'

Gang of robbers arrested after attacking Emirati woman as she left the bank.

Illustration of a gang of robbers arrested for attacking a young Emirati woman after she left the bank. Courtesy Security Media
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Five men have been arrested on suspicion of robbing a woman of her handbag and mobile phone.

F?A, 24, an Emirati, was targeted while walking in Abu Dhabi’s Khalidiyah area after leaving a bank last week.

Police said that one man grabbed her from behind, putting a scarf over her eyes and a hand over her mouth to stop her screaming.

Another stole her phone and bag, which contained cash and credit cards. She lost her balance and fell as the thieves fled.

Five suspects were arrested, all from Pakistan.

D?B, 25, is accused of grabbing the woman from behind while K?M, 21, robbed her.

Police claim they were working in collaboration with the three other men detained, with the gang targeting women and the elderly as they left the bank.

Police believe they thought the woman had a large amount of cash on her. She was carrying Dh1,300.

Col Rashid Mohammed Bourshid, chief of CID, said: “Joint efforts of the police and community led to the identification and arrest of the perpetrators of the crime that took place on July 28 in the morning.”

Police said the suspects had confessed to charges of forceful stealing from bank customers and had been referred to prosecutors.