Sharjah Police dismantle four international crime networks, arrest 33 suspects

Centre · 2Sharjah Police announced on Thursday 15 October 2026 that they had dismantled four interconnected international criminal networks involved in cyberattacks, digital wallet theft, money laundering, online fraud, extortion and violent assaults. 1 2 Centre · 2Thirty-three suspects of 12 nationalities were arrested, including six legal entities among those implicated; some were apprehended abroad and brought back, and the operation was carried out with the Ministry of Interior and named 'End of the Battle'. 1 2 Centre · 2Officials said assets of more than 30 companies and institutions worldwide, valued at over Dh65 billion, were secured, and more than Dh200 million was seized. 1 2

Centre · 2More than 3,000 digital wallets were audited and verified, and prosecutors said money laundering transactions totalled Dh8,825,381,741.50 (about $2.4 billion, the figure The National uses in its headline), moved through bank accounts, digital wallets, international platforms and intermediary companies. 1 2 Centre · 2According to Major General Omar Ahmed Bu Al Zoud, the first network hacked and stole data, the second laundered money through virtual assets, the third used social engineering for online fraud and digital wallet theft, and the fourth carried out physical assaults and threats to force victims to hand over wallet passcodes. 1 2 Centre · 1Gulf News reported that the networks allegedly used artificial intelligence tools for phishing and fraud, traded compromised data on the dark web, and laundered proceeds through virtual assets before investing in property, luxury cars, watches and jewellery; in some cases suspects allegedly threatened or harmed victims' family members. 1

Centre · 2Sharjah Police commander-in-chief Lieutenant General Abdullah Mubarak bin Amer said the gang 'did not rely on a single type of criminal activity' and that its members cultivated an image of wealth as businesspeople and investors while operating through encrypted, closed networks. 2 1 Centre · 2Sharjah Attorney General Counsellor Anwar Al Harmoudi described a cross-border organisation with defined roles; prosecutors examined more than 10,000 documents and reports, held 142 investigation sessions, issued 385 decisions and 478 judicial orders, and inspected 103 electronic devices. 1 2 Centre · 1Seized items included 17 luxury cars, 29 valuable watches, jewellery, a residential villa, two villas under construction and two plots of land; searches also found cold digital wallets, narcotic substances, counterfeit currency and counterfeiting equipment. 1

Centre · 2The allegations come from police and prosecution briefings; the articles do not report responses from the suspects, and the accused are described as alleged members of the networks. 2 1