Worker stole Dh4m from cash transit vehicle as colleagues took toilet break

Dubai Police swiftly tracked down gang behind multi-million dirham plot

Dubai Police captured the gang responsible for orchestrating a Dh4 million theft. Courtesy Dubai Police

An opportunistic employee stole Dh4 million from a cash transit vehicle after two of his colleagues took a toilet break.

The African man swiped the huge haul of money and fled the scene in Al Rashidiya, Dubai, after hatching the lucrative plot with a gang of fellow thieves.

But Dubai Police managed to snare the offenders in less than 24 hours - before they were able to use the money.

Brigadier Jamal Salem Al Jallaf, director of criminal investigations at Dubai Police, said a task force was swiftly formed after they were alerted to the major theft.

Initial investigations uncovered that the offender made off with the Dh4 million sum when the two fellow employees left him unattended in the armoured vehicle, which was loaded with a total of Dh20 million.

Police used hi-tech techniques to track down the suspects' hide-out and bring them to justice.

“Equipped with the latest techniques and programmes of artificial intelligence, the criminal data analysis Centre provided vital information to our field teams on the gang’s whereabouts and identified their intended plan of disposing the stolen money,” Brigadier Al Jallaf said.

The criminals were located in Dubai, Sharjah and Ajman after an extensive search spanning the Emirates.

“In co-ordination with the criminal investigation departments at those emirates, our teams were able to work with high professionalism and surprised the gang members and arrested them and recovered the money within less than 24 hours.”