African cyber gang busted in Ajman

UAE Ministry of Interior (MoI) in co-operation with various police agencies has successfully busted a Nigerian cyber gang.

Comprising three members, the gang operated out of an apartment in Ajman. They targeted individuals and institutions in the US by hacking their accounts and emails to steal private documents and information to commit fraud.

MoI in cooperation with various police agencies from advanced countries helped nab the suspects. The ministry, in a statement, said that it had received information from security authorities in California with regards to cyber-criminal activity based in the UAE. The information did not include identities of hackers, or their place of residence. Hence a professional team was established in order to follow-up on the cyber data available and to gain access to the gang in order to keep them from escaping. The professional team consisted of members from Abu Dhabi, Dubai, and Ajman police forces.

The raid resulted in the arrest of 24-year-old BA, the mastermind of the gang; 26-year-old GA, a partner in the gang; and 26-year-old AA, who entered the UAE on a tourist visa.

Police teams monitored the movements of the suspects until they were all confirmed to be at the same location. Electronic devices, financial remittance documents, hacking software, bank accounts, and a list of more than 5 million electronic bank accounts were all confiscated from the gang.

MoI said it aims to protect the rights of citizens around the world. It works to enforce the law outside of the local context to serve the international community on one hand, and on the other, to effectively instill confidence and trust in the reputation and competency of the UAE and its various agencies.

The MoI also pointed that the respect for the law and safeguarding the rights and protection of every individual is a fundamental value of the approach in police work. It stated that the values of the police are not confined by borders.

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