Sharjah: Around 400 Asian men were arrested in one of the biggest raids Sharjah Police have conducted in recent memory.
Police conducted their operation on Wednesday when they descended upon warehouses.
Police officials confirmed that hundreds of men, most of them illegals who violated residency laws, were arrested when 24 warehouses were raided in Sharjah Industrial Area 6 at around 6pm.
The inspection came after Dubai TV aired a report about illegal activities that take place in scrap warehouses in the industrial area.
Police officials explained the warehouse owners illegally rented out parts of the warehouse to other people – up to four different people - who use the space to illegally sell all sorts of products, from electronics to clothes. Most of the warehouses were registered as warehouses to store scrap parts.
Roughly 90 per cent of the suspects arrested were from Pakistan.
The UAE had announced on December 4, 2012, an amnesty period for illegals to leave the country. The 60-day grace period ended on February 2, 2013 and 61,826 illegal residents took advantage of the opportunity to leave the country without facing any consequences.
The public can report cases of suspected illegal residents around-the-clock on the toll-free number 80080.
In general, overstaying in the UAE after the expiry of a residence visa is fined at Dh25 per day. To regularise visas, immigrants must pay all the daily fines accrued as a result of overstaying.
Those who employ illegal workers or allow their workers to take up jobs with other employers face a fine of Dh50,000 per person and Dh100,000 fine per worker plus a jail term on the second offence.
