The Al Ain Police arrested two unemployed men, an illegal Asian immigrant and an Arab, for stealing and smuggling pickup trucks as well as robbing three drivers of their money in Al Ain. The criminals used the same method of sedating the drivers in each of the three cases. The first suspect lures the drivers into drinking a cup of tea bought at some restaurant on the outer roads and spikes it with a sedative. The suspect would then wait for the driver to lose consciousness, steal the car, and sell it to the second suspect for a low price in order for it to be smuggled out of the country.
Brigadier Hamad Ajlan Al Omaimi, Director of Al Ain Police, at the Abu Dhabi Police General Headquarters stated that following three complaints received by the police over a period of two months alleges a suspect of stealing money and vehicles from three drivers, using the same method of sedation. The Criminal Investigation Department was requested to form a team to unveil the mystery of the case and arrest the perpetrators.
Al Omaimi explained that the prime suspect confessed to his crime, saying that he used to go to a cattle market in a different emirate and hire a pickup truck and driver, in order to allegedly transport cattle from Al Ain. The suspect would then ask the drivers to stop at a restaurant on the road to supposedly buy food or a cup of tea, then adds a sedative and offers it to them. When the misguided driver loses consciousness, the suspect would leave his victim on the side of the road, steal his money and mobile phone, then seize the car and drive away with the intention of smuggling it later out of the country.
The Al Ain Police Director added that the suspect used the same method of asking his second victim to stop at a store and offering him a cup of tea filled with a sedative. Later, the driver went to pray at a nearby mosque; the Imam noticed that he was still there long after the end of the prayers. When the Imam found the victim asleep, he tried to awaken him. Realizing that the victim was unconscious, he called an ambulance. The man was transferred to the hospital, where the tests proved that he had ingested a large amount of sedative. He stated that he had been victim to a fraud and robbery, and that his car, money, and mobile phone were stolen.
Al Omaimi said that a third person was victim of a similar incident, and that he came to the Al Ain City Police station and reported the robbery of his car, money, and personal belongings after being unknowingly sedated.
The Criminal Investigation Department of the Al Ain Police Directorate formed a team led by Major Fahed bin Barrak Al Dhaheri, Head of the CID. The team gathered information and conducted a search for the perpetrators involved, in order to thwart this criminal scheme. Sources were recruited, leading to the capture of the main suspect R.J., a 24 year-old of Asian nationality, who confessed to his crimes. The second perpetrator, an Arab, whose role was to buy the cars from R.J. for low prices with the purpose of smuggling them out of the country, was also arrested.
Al Omaimi commended the efforts exerted by the CID of the Al Ain Police Directorate to uncover the mystery of the crime and bring the perpetrators to justice. He stressed that the police and security bodies lie in wait for those who allow themselves to disrupt the security and stability of the country, and to endanger the lives of the citizens and residents alike. He added that no matter how advanced the criminals’ techniques are, the police will remain ahead of them thanks to the care and attention given by the police command, and the specialized training courses that the police personnel undergo inside the country and abroad.