A Pinoy woman who allegedly betrayed people with promises of work visas and flats has been arrested after residents complained to the police. The Philippina, M.C.K., allegedly charged her victims a fee by promising to help them obtain work visas. Later on, she pretended to be a real estate broker and charged people commissions for renting out flats to them. M.C.K. is believed to have collected commissions ranging from Dh5,000 to Dh10,000.
The Al Rashidiya police station reported 6 complaints from Arabic and Asian victims. The suspect has been a frequent visitor to Dubai since 2005. She started the crimes after she repeatedly failed to find a job. The first complaint was made by a Nigerian men in 2008. He claimed that M.C.K. charged him between Dh10,000-Dh15,000 for getting a work visa, which he never got. The Philippina was arrested and released on bail back then.
Four months after her arrest, M.C.K. allegedly duped a fellow Filipino in the same way. Police said many of her alleged victims did not lodge complaints or took a long time to do so, which made it difficult for the police to track down the suspect. Lieutenant Colonel Ahmad Humaid Al Merri, the Director of the criminal investigation unit at the Dubai Police, stated that M.C.K. changed her strategy in 2009 and started to act as a real estate broker. She posted ads offering apartments for rent, especially in International City. First she would call up real estate companies to find out which flats were available. She then offered those flats on rent to her victims, Al Merri said.
An investigative team tracked the Pinoy lady down and arrested her next to a hotel in Riggat Al Buteen, Dubai. All the known victims apparently identified the suspect. Brigadier Khalil Ebrahim Al Mansouri, Director of the general department for criminal investigation at Dubai Police, stated the public should report any suspicious incident directly. “I urge the public to seek official registered channels when they want to obtain any visa, apartment, or perform any transaction.”
