Ajman: Ajman Police have arrested four African men in connection with thefts and pickpocketing incidents where passersby would be caught unawares by individuals spitting in their direction and distracting them while they were robbed by others.

Major Ahmad Saeed Al Nuaimi, Director of Ajman Criminal and Investigation Department of Ajman Police, said on Sunday that the police had received complaints from several people about the gang.

Explaining the gang’s modus operandi, he said one of the suspects would spit on the unsuspecting victim and rush to help the person clean up apologising for their behaviour. While the victim was thus distracted, the suspect’s accomplices would pick their pocket.

“Spitting on people on the road and stealing their money is the second case in Ajman as last year police arrested two men for the same crime. The whole operation takes only a few minutes as the victim would be busy cleaning himself,” Major Al Nuaimi said.

The police arrested two suspects when they approached an Asian man in Al Nakheel area and one of them spit on him while the other stole his money before running away to a taxi where their two partners were waiting for them.

The police arrested the suspects while they were in the taxi. During interrogation, the suspects told police that they used this method as it was easy and they took advantage of the negligence of people. The case has been referred to the public prosecution.