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Gold heist in Dubai foiled by police
Bangladesh News.Net
Saturday 14th November, 2009
Police investigations mostly move pretty slowly. Facts need to be checked, parties need to be interviewed, and forensic evidence needs to be gathered.
So when four Mexicans and a Costa Rican entered the United Arab Emirates a little over a fortnight ago to stage an elaborate gold heist, one would think the local authorities would have their hands full.
The Mexicans and Costa Rican, three men and two women, arrived into the capital Abu Dhabi. From there they hired a rental car and drove to Dubai, a little over an hour away. There they began surveillance of a local Dubai jeweller who regularly transported gold bars to destinations overseas where they were transformed into jewellry pieces and returned to Dubai, where the jeweller would sell them.
After a couple of days surveillance the crooks moved in. On October 29 as the jeweller was trying to organize a trolley the gang confronted the jeweller, caused confusion, and snatched his bag which was carrying 25 gold bars worth $1.6 million. The jeweller was overtaken by events and in the turmoil didn’t get a good look at any of the gang members.
The thieves then left the airport, packaged up the bars with electronic devices and consigned the cargo to Costa Rica. They then drove back to the Abu Dhabi Airport and boarded a plane to Hong Kong. Mission accomplished.
It was one of the most daring, brazen robberies committed in the country. The gang must have been sipping champagne on board their flight having been successful in the robbery, and having escaped the country all within a matter of hours. And they were $1.6 million richer.
Unfortunately for them the story doesn’t end there. The Dubai Police were alerted to the robbery when it occurred. As the jeweller couldn’t describe his attackers the police studied the airport security surveillance cameras. They also checked where the jeweller had parked his car and found a rental car parked nearby. It was a gold Honda Accord. Police checked the car rental company and found there were 358 similar cars in the UAE. Forty two patrols were sent to investigate car rental locations and track down the one that rented the car. It was found but the identity of the renter turned out to be fictitious, as was the drivers license. An interview of the rental car company employee that rented the car however indicated the renter was Mexican.
Police then checked the arrival information in recent days for Mexican entrants and found the renter. It was also noted he had arrived with three other Mexicans and the Costa Rican.
Surveillance cameras noting the arrival into the country of the gang, matched with those of the robbery at Dubai Airport gave police vital clues.
Police also checked international couriers for consignments to Mexico and Costa Rica, realizing the gold bars could not be taken through security at the country’s airports without being discovered.
The Dubai Police then checked the immigration department for airport departures of the group, and then the airlines to establish the five had boarded a flight to Hong Kong.
Ninety minutes after the plane for Hong Kong had taken off the police had identified the culprits, established their whereabouts, and in the meantime tracked down the courier company that had been engaged to transport the cargo overseas.
Dubai Police then contacted their counterparts in Hong Kong and Interpol and as the plane landed law enforcement officers in Hong Kong boarded the plane and took the four Mexicans and the Costa Rican into custody.
Within hours the five were herded back on to a plane and flown back to Abu Dhabi where they were arrested on arrival and transported to Dubai where they are now in prison awaiting trial.
And the gold bars? They were intercepted in Europe, and returned to Dubai, within hours of their consignment.
A stunning robbery to be sure, but an even more stunning police operation. Congratulations to Dubai Police and in particular, Lt Col Ahmed al Merri, head of the criminal investigation division who supervised the operation, and Brig Khalil al Mansouri, the director of the General Department for Criminal Investigation. The chief of Dubai Police Lieutenant General Dahi Khalfan and his deputy director Major General Khamis Mattar Al Mazeina, were also directly involved in the case.  Email this story to a friend
Comments on this story
Anonymous
11-14-09, 02:08 PM |
Dubai Police capture crooks and recover gold hours after robbery
and we americans are going to teach them something?
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Unhappy
11-14-09, 05:24 PM |
Very Nice
It very nice to find a professional
and efficient police operstion !
Congratulations ! Thank You !
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dlbatt
11-14-09, 08:14 PM |
WOW! it’s hard to break the law anymore.
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Wael Al Houssiny
11-14-09, 11:48 PM |
God Bless the UAE
Outstanding achievement!!!
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kawahchan
11-15-09, 11:55 AM |
Is still too short to film a 1 1/2 or 2 hours Hollywood movie.
Mexicans' crooks are quite smart, but the law-enforcement are quite professional and smarter, too easier to catch those guys, the BAD BOYS story is still too short to film a 1 1/2 or 2 hours Hollywood movie. Maggie Q’s movie later on then !!
* Be patience, the 2013 US President DAN QUAYLE’s White House and the 2013 Federal Reserve Chairman JAMES BAKER will introduce our US 1-oz. pure yellow Gold Dinar to giveaway 1 or 2 Gold Dinar to EVERY American taxpayers to spend or to keep for rainy day’s emergency money.
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shamshuddin
11-16-09, 12:35 AM |
fantastic
very very good work from dibai police may ALLAH bless you and UAE
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Good Work.
03-25-10, 05:46 AM |
Good Work
A big round of applause for the Dubai Police.
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