Fake Currency

A visitng Nigerian stood trial on Thursday at the the Criminal Court of First Instance on the charge of possessing fake currency. The 30-year-old defendant has been charged for possession of 32 counterfeit $100 bills on November 2 last year.

He pleaded not guilty saying he was not aware the money was fake.

The next hearing is slated for April 2.

An Indian accountant at an exchange centre in the Naif area said when he was on duty at 9.30am, the defendant approached the counter to change $14,200 into dirhams of which 32 $100 bills were counterfeit.

The accountant said that on verification, the notes were found to be fakes and the exchange company immediately called the police.

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Baby girl found abandoned in a mosque

A new-born baby girl was found abandoned in the ladies’ wing of a mosque in Ras Al Khaimah on Wednesday evening.

Major Aref Al Kaazi, from the Criminal Investigation Department of Ras Al Khaimah Police, said the baby was believed to have been abandoned in the mosque by her parents who left a note in Arabic stating that any good samaritan could take the new-born and look after her. He said a local woman, who had gone to the mosque for the Maghreb prayers on Wednesday, found the baby girl and informed police. The baby was taken to Saqr Hospital where the doctors declared her in good health. The hospital has been instructed to keep samples of the baby’s blood and preserve her DNA while investigations are being carried out to locate the child’s mother.

Major Nasser Soufah, in charge of crime registrations in the CID, said this was not the first time that a baby had been found abandoned. During 2005 and 2006, four infants were found abandoned, but last year no such case took place.

/Khaleej Times/

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Abu Dhabi court sentences swindler to one year in jail

The Abu Dhabi Court of First Instance sentenced a money swindler to one year jail in addition to a fine of Dh50, 000.

The swindler, identified as M.F.M.B, was found guilty of running an unlicensed “financial investment” service, a project which enabled him to collect money from UAE nationals and expatriates. He regularly paid profits of up to 70 per cent to gain confidence of his victims and lure more investors.

Banned from any commercial activities for two years, the swindler will be deported from the UAE after serving his jail term.

An official source at the office of the General Prosecutor’s Chamber has warned against such bogus financial investment companies: “We hope the general public would not be gullible to believe in such schemes.”
He said such activities will be met with the full force of the law.

/Gulf News/

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Wafi robbery: Man jailed for 10 years

A company owner will spend 10 years in prison after a court found him involved in last year's Dh14.7 million armed robbery at a jewellery store in Wafi City.

The Dubai Court of First Instance sentenced Serb national N.M., 33, to 10 years in jail after he was named as an accomplice to an unidentified number of fugitives in the raid in April 2007. He will be deported after serving his punishment.

Presiding Judge Fahmi Mounir said the defendant will pay Dh20,000 in temporary compensation to Graff jewellery store.

Meanwhile, the court acquitted N.M.'s compatriot visitor, M.M., 52, for lack of evidence.

The judge referred the civil compensation claim, lodged by Graff's legal representative Abdul Moniem Bin Suwaidan to the Dubai Civil Court.

"Ten years! Ten years!" exclaimed N.M., looking at his family members who attended yesterday's hearing as court guards escorted him out of the dock.

"I will definitely appeal the verdict," N.M.'s lawyer Ali Abdullah Al Shamsi told Gulf News.

The Public Prosecution's arraignment sheet charged N.M. with aiding and abetting a number of unidentified robbers who stole two cars, drove into the Wafi City at about 10pm and brought down the jewellery shop's glass front by crashing the car into it.

The robbers were wearing masks and used toy guns to terrorise shop attendants. They smashed the display cases with iron tools, snatched the contents and fled.

Law enforcement officers tracked down the two Serbs and referred them to court.

Not linked

Meanwhile it is believed that four unidentified suspects are still at large and police are hunting them.

According to the verdict, the court was convinced that the accused was aware of the heist as he escorted them to stores on Shaikh Zayed Road and other areas where they bought the tools for the robbery and black abayas which the escapees reportedly used to mask themselves during the heist.

M.M. was charged with possessing stolen jewel-lery. The court discharged M.M. because charges against him were uncorroborated.

"My client is not linked to the crime or the four main suspects who are still absconding ... My client stopped contacting the fugitives two weeks prior to the crime," Al Shamsi said.

He argued that his client was questioned by the police and the Public Prosecution unlawfully because no Serb translator was present.

/Gulf News/

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Zayed University launches cyber crime grad programs

Zayed University in the UAE has launched three new graduate programs focused on IT security. The new programs, which are being offered by the College of Information Technology, and its US partner George Washington University, cover information, security, cyber security and high tech crime investigation.

While the Graduate Certificate in Information Security is focused on more traditional areas of network infrastructure security, the other two courses, the MS in Information Technology with specialization in Cyber Security and the Graduate Certificate in High Technology Crime Investigation are intended to introduce additional professional skills and capabilities in the prevention and detect crimes that are carried out online or that use computers in some way.

Dr Leon Jololian, acting dean of College of Information Technology said: "The increase of high technology crime has generated an urgent need for a new type of investigator who can combine the science of information technology and forensic science with the art of investigations and critical thinking. Today, any crime that involves a computer as a part of the crime, as the crime itself or as the storage place for evidence, may be part of an investigation.

"This is a critical need for the UAE. and the Gulf region. Graduates of the program will be prepared to work in local, state, national and international organizations in the public and corporate sectors. They will have the skills to investigate a variety of cases that include identity theft, fraud, child exploitation, money laundering and violent crimes," he added.

The programs will commence from October this year.

ITP.net

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Dubai Police brings the Wafi Jewellery robbery suspect from Germany

After 13 months from the armed robbery of a jewellery shop at Dubai's Wafi Mall, Dubai Police have succeeded in bringing back from Germany, the prime suspect who allegedly led the gang of robberers.

The arrest of Zivato Andrea, of Eastern European origin, was made possible by the cooperation of German Police as per request from Dubai's CID. The man, who used a fictitious name, had fled the country shortly after the incident.

The night robbery was carried out in April last year during busy shopping hours. The robberers came in two cars and smashed into the glass panes of the Graff jewellery store. The armed men in black clothes and masks then took control of the store and stole jewellery worth Dh14.7 million. They drove off to the Za'abeel area and abandoned the stolen cars there.

Dubai police could arrest of two suspects in the UAE, but the prime suspect was still at large.

The investigations by Dubai CID led to Germany, where the suspect was hiding. German Police worked jointly with Dubai Police and the culprit was arrested earlier in June. He was produced before a German court, which ordered to hand over the culprit to UAE authorities.

/WAM/

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