Dubai, Sep 20 (Emirates 24|7): Dubai police busted an apartment that was turned by thieves led by a European man into a factory to produce fake credit cards that allowed it to rob nearly Dh 16 million, the emirate’s police commander has announced.

Lt General Dahi Khalfan Al Tamim said the gang’s European leader, identified as EISH, had managed to hack accounts of several bank clients to use them in forged visa cards, adding that the gang used advanced equipment to manufacture such cards.

“A professional team of the department for combating electronic crimes has watched that gang and succeeded in arresting its members, who began their criminal activities in 2010,” Tamim said in a statement.

He said the factory is based on Sheikh Zayed Road and that those involved had used the forged credit cards they had produced to buy goods worth large sums of money.

“They confessed of embezzling nearly Dh16 million,” said Major General Khalil Al Mansouri, director of the detectives and criminal investment department.

He said police seized 177 forged visa cards after raiding the apartment, adding that some of the items purchased by the thieves included luxury cars such as Ferrari and Lamborghini besides renting costly apartments in various areas.

He said those arrested also included five Arabs who confessed to have used the fake cards in buying travel coupons and air tickets, jewelry, and other expensive items from the local market before selling them for cash.