UAE’s Ministry of Interior (MoI) has put an end to the crimes of a Nigerian gang of three people operating out of an apartment in Ajman.

The gang members had targeted their victims, both individuals and institutions, in the US by hacking their accounts and emails to steal private documents and information to commit fraud, said a statement.

The successful operation of overthrowing the gang is a result of the fruitful co-operation and close ties reinforced by the ministry and various police agencies from advanced countries, it said.

Such a step has been made in a bid to entrench the efforts of peace and global security, and to protect the rights of citizens around the world. It works to enforce the law outside of the local context to serve the international community on one hand, and on the other, to effectively instill confidence and trust in the reputation and competency of the UAE and its various agencies.

In a statement, the ministry explained that it had received information from the security authorities in the US state of California in regards to cyber-criminal activity based in the UAE. The

 information did not include the identities of the hackers, nor the place of residence; hence a professional team was established in order to follow-up on the cyber data available and to gain access to the gang as soon as possible in order to keep them from escaping. The professional team consisted of members from the Abu Dhabi, Dubai, and Ajman police forces.

The joint security co-operation between the UAE police leadership led to identifying the location of the gang in record time, which was subsequently raided after completing the necessary legal procedures.

The police teams monitored the movements of the suspects until they were all confirmed to be in the location. They were apprehended along with the tools of the crime including electronic devices; financial remittance documents; hacking software; bank accounts; and a list of more than five million electronic bank accounts targeted by the gang, said the statement.

The ministry confirmed its keenness to assert its careful presence in the global scene of safety and security, including the unique competencies and experiences that have been established through decades of dealing with international cultures and people.

It also pointed that the respect for the law and safeguarding the rights and protection of every individual is a fundamental value of the approach in police work. It stated that the values of the police are not confined by borders. - TradeArabia News Service