Dubai
police have arrested a gang of four men who allegedly swindled
more than Dh223m (£40m) by
stealing credit card information used in online
transactions.
The Dubai Criminal Investigation Department (CID) had received
information in July this year that a gang of Arab men were stealing
credit card information from people making
online transactions on websites that offer government and
semi-government services, and purchasing online from some
shops.
Colonel Khalil Ebrahim Al Mansouri, deputy director of the CID,
said the suspects stole information from 16,975
credit cards.
Police say the information was then used by the gang to make
their own transactions online for goods, including gold and
diamonds.
The CID said it raided "the gang's den and arrested them
red-handed with the devices they were using to carry out their
operations".
Two people were arrested, and they then guided the police to a
third suspect, who had already been detained at a police station
for another case.
Police also identified a fourth suspect who was outside the
country. Police made the necessary arrangements to extradite him.
The CID did not name the country.
Earlier this year, Dubai arrested another gang for allegedly
using multiple forged credit cards to buy laptops and other
expensive goods.