Abu Dhabi, March 16 (IANS): A woman was arrested for attempting to rob a money exchange here after threatening employees with what turned out to be a fake plastic gun, a media report said on Sunday.

The attempted robbery took place Thursday, police said, adding that a sharp knife was also found in the woman's possession, which she intended to use in the event her threats with the false gun were unsuccessful, UAE's state-run WAM news agency reported.

Soon after receiving a call, a police team was dispatched to the money exchange where the woman was apprehended. The suspect was frisked by female police officers and the items in her possession were confiscated.

"Police officers managed to prevent the woman from using the knife as she resisted arrest when they raided the location," Colonel Rashid Mohammad Borshid, chief of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) at Abu Dhabi Police, was quoted as saying.

Preliminary investigations revealed that the arrested woman, identified as A. L. R., 33 years, is a Filipino national and an illegal resident in the UAE, the police officer added.

"The woman was wearing black gloves, a black full-face veil with a white scarf on the head to avoid leaving any prints, and to avoid being recognised on CCTV."

During the interrogation, the woman confessed that she had planned the robbery to settle her outstanding debt, which amounted to about AED 140,000.