Sharjah Police arrest man for stealing Land Cruiser during test drive

Four accomplices were also arrested in a sting operation

Sharjah Police arrest five men on charges of stealing a car worth Dh250,000. Photo: Sharjah Police

Sharjah Police have arrested a man for fleeing with a car he had taken on a test drive.

The man posed as a customer and met an Emirati to buy his 2020 Land Cruiser. He requested to test drive the vehicle and issued the seller a fake cheque of Dh250,000 as collateral.

When he did not return after two hours and switched off his phone, the seller lodged a complaint with the police.

The police investigated the case and found that four other people had helped the man.

“Reporting the incident immediately helped foil the suspect’s plan to dispose of the car and also helped officers identify them quickly,” said Col Omar Ahmed Abu Al Zoud, director of Criminal Investigations Department at Sharjah Police.

“Our investigations revealed they met regularly at a certain location in Ras Al Khaimah and all were of different Arab nationalities.”

Officers launched a sting operation and arrested the men with the help of Ras Al Khaimah Police.

The car was recovered and the men were referred to the prosecutors.

Several chequebooks issued by different banks in the UAE and fake stamps from various commercial establishments were also confiscated during the sting.

Col Al Zoud urged people to always check the background of prospective buyers when trying to sell something to avoid becoming victims of fraud.

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