Sharjah industrial areas see more ATM robberies

Daylight robbery continues in Sharjah, with criminal gangs targeting people carrying valuables and tracking bank customers who have just withdrawn cash from banks and ATMs.

The thieves target customers and staff withdrawing cash from ATMs.

Warning notices at a bank branch in the area say: “Many robberies have taken place in this spot. Be careful with the cash that you withdraw”.

“The robbers are looking to steal when the roads are not very busy and they can run and disappear within short notice,” a bank staffer told Emirates 24|7.

“After 2pm the area is not so crowded and the criminals can run away easily,” the staffer said.

In one of the most brazen recent incidents, an Indian shop owner was robbed of Dh35,000 while travelling from the National Paints area to Rolla. 

The victim, whose name has been withheld for safety reasons, was waiting at the National Paints bus station for a public transport bus to Rolla when a ‘good Samaritan’ offered him a lift in a shared illegal cab. The shop owner was carrying a handbag which contained Dh35,000.

“From 9.45am I was waiting to catch a bus to Rolla, but it did not come for more than half an hour,” the victim said.

“An African national, apparently an Ethiopian, approached me and offered a lift in a cab sharing with other passengers.  I did not know the guy, but since it is very common to share cabs, I accepted the offer and boarded the car,” he said.

The car contained three other men, whom he also believes were Ethiopian nationals.

“When the car reached Gecko round-about, the driver took the interior katcha (back) roads, which I thought was to drop off one of the passengers. Suddenly, one of the African passengers in the car started complaining that he lost his purse and wanted to stop the car,” the victim said.

According to the victim, the man started screaming and checked whether the purse was lying somewhere inside the vehicle. 

After creating mayhem inside the car, he spotted an empty purse in the vehicle and started accusing other passengers of stealing his money.

The other passengers then showed their empty wallets and bags, under a pretext of convincing the man that they had not stolen his money.

Finally one of the passengers snatched the Indian’s bag, took Dh35,000 and drove away after throwing the bag from the speeding car.

The victim could not comprehend what was happening for 10 minutes before he realised that he had been robbed.

The gang members did not listen to his pleas to call the police to find the lost money.

The victim has now registered a complaint with the Sharjah Police, who warn residents not to accept free lifts or other offers of help from strangers.

The man said he was thankful he did not lose his passport and a cheque book, which was in the bag with the money. 

He was also relieved that the gang did not harm him physically or steal his gold chain or mobile phone.

Similar incidents in Sharjah and the Dubai Hospital area have targeted people carrying money and valuables as they wait for buses or taxis.

Emirates 24|7 last week reported two chain-snatching incidents from Rolla Sharjah and other cases of daylight robbery in some of the small shops in the emirate.

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