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29 March 2024

Abu Dhabi Police busts the 'Vitamin C' gang

[PIC CREDIT] Abu Dhabi Police

Published
By Staff

A dose of vitamin C may not be what the doctor ordered in this case, as Abu Dhabi Police busts a gang with the same name, specialising in fraud and guilty of circulating $250,000 fake bills in the market.

The three members who formed the gang claim to have removed UN stamps from dollar bills that were issued as international aid to poor countries, using Vitamin C, so that dollar bills were restored to original status to be circulated in normal markets.

The forensic laboratory report said that the dollar bills are counterfeited by using a scanned coloured copy of real bills; the Abu Dhabi Police warn that the UN stamps story is fabricated and a trick to dupe victims.

According to Colonel Dr Rashid Bu Rasheed, Director of Criminal Investigation Department at the Abu Dhabi Police, the department recently received verified information on people who practice fraud by claiming that they have $250,000 stamped by the UN and need chemical solutions to remove them to bring dollar bills back to original status for use in the market.

They claim to be looking for a trader to buy the sum; they set a price of Dh80,000.

Colonel Bu Rasheed said in a statement: “Based on the information we received and after verification, we set up a team of professionals in the organised crime section, and assigned them to hunt down the gang members.

“The team set up an ambush to arrest them red-handed upholding all legal procedures.”

A taste of their own medicine

He said that in an operation called ‘Vitamin C’, the team was able to arrest the suspects: KY, a 40-year-old businessman; AA, a 39-year-old archives clerk; and AI, a 36-year-old worker.

“The team set up an intensified work plan and was able to infiltrate the gang to meet the main suspect, KY, who arrived on a visit visa as a business man.

“One of the qualified police officers acted as a trader who wanted to cut the deal on the condition of trying to remove the stamps from the dollar bills to prove it works. A date for the test was set somewhere in Abu Dhabi,” Colonel Bu Rasheed added.

 He continued: “At the meeting, the suspect started to talk about details related to testing the dollars and the selling process. When he felt that everything was alright about the undercover police officer, he brought the bag containing the money, took out two stamped dollar bills, dipped a piece of cotton in a liquid and used it to rub the bills removing the stamps. Then, he handed it to the undercover agent who examined them and approved the deal.”

“At the moment of completing the deal, the team stormed the location and arrested the suspect after following legal procedures. The criminal items were seized, including packs of fake illegal dollar bills, along with the other items used in the fraud process,” he added.

He went on to say that the rest of the gang members were pursued and arrested in another Emirate.

When faced with the evidence, they admitted their participation in the fraud of bringing in and circulating fake bills and explained their new criminal method.

Don’t be duped

Colonel Bu Rasheed warned community members against falling victim to the network of imposters and crooks, who claim their ability to counterfeit, double their money, and other wretched tricks.

He stressed on involving both individuals and institutions within the community to cooperate with the police by informing on criminals and outlaws, in order to help police arrest them and deliver them to justice clearing the community from their criminal acts and putting an end to such wrongful activities.