ATM thief arrested in Dubai: 28 bank accounts debited Dh200,000

DUBAI: The police have arrested a Bulgarian who robbed 28 bank accounts through cash machines by using tiny electronic devices at the ATMs, police said. The CCTVs of the banks had caught him on the camera. He used 'white cards' to take out moey from the accounts of customers from the ATM machines. He withdrew Dh200,000 from the accounts.

The thief had left the UAE but the police arrested him from the airport when he was returning to Dubai. “He was arrested at the airport just after he returned to Dubai. We have succeeded in luring him back after we received reports from 28 people that their accounts have been burgled', the police said.

“He used an advanced scanner device and a tiny camera to record the PIN number used by the bank client while withdrawing money,” the Emirates daily quoted the police.

The cheat, suspected to be part of a international gang, has since confessed to the burglaries.

“We have stressed the need for educating guards and other security men at banks to be more vigilant to detect suspicious people and report any suspicious activity immediately. They should be given courses in security awareness and body language,” said Lt Colonel Salah Bu Asiba, director of the counter-criminal division at Dubai’s general administration for criminal affairs.