The Sharjah Police said the gang was also planning to carry out armed robberies in money exchanges and banks.
The Sharjah Police have arrested a gang comprising eight Arabs specialised in stealing safes from various institutions.
All the suspects are aged between 18 and 24. The police said they were also planning to carry out armed robberies in money exchanges and banks.
According to Brigadier Mohamed Eid Al Mazloum, Director of the Operations Room at the Sharjah Police, the gang stole safes belonging to various schools, institutes, travel agencies, clinics and shops.
The Sharjah Police received 26 complaints reporting about the thefts of safes and shops have even reported that cash boxes from the counters were also stolen.
It was found during the investigation that the suspects used same technique in their thefts. After visiting the places that were subject to robberies and collecting finger prints, suspicion revolved around the eight suspects and the police managed to trace their whereabouts.
The police raided the house where the suspects hid the stolen money and valuables including electronic gadgets and watches in addition to sharp tools used to open the safes.
“To avoid raising suspicion and to destroy evidence they used to throw the safes in the sea after taking all the valuables,” Brig. Al Mazloum added.
“The suspects used to wear black masks while doing the robberies to ensure their identities are not revealed. They also left boxes in garbage bins after emptying those of the contents. However, divers from the central operations department managed to find an iron storage box from the sea.”
During interrogation, the suspects confessed to the crimes. The suspects are currently detained and will be referred to the public prosecution.
