Two men who intended to buy duty-free merchandise with 36 fake credit cards were arrested upon landing at Abu Dhabi International Airport, police said yesterday. The men, identified as TS, 32, and LS, 31, are Asian nationals, although their countries of origin were not revealed. They were arrested after a tip received by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of the police, officials said.
Officers from the CID's organised crime section contacted security personnel at the airport and the two men were searched upon arrival. Each had 18 fake credit cards, officials said. One was carrying three expensive watches he had bought with one of the cards in his possession. The suspects admitted they were visiting Abu Dhabi to buy expensive items from the duty-free shops at the airport, police said. They said they bought the fake cards abroad, paying the equivalent of Dh10,800 (US$2,800) on the black market.
The men said they would usually buy the fake credit cards, purchase a few expensive duty-free items, then destroy the cards upon returning to their home country. The police said they had contacted Interpol and are carrying out further investigations into the two men. vtodorova@thenational.ae
