KUWAIT, Feb 2 (KUNA) -- Kuwaiti security forces have arrested a criminal gang comprised of Arab nationals found to have been complicit in an array of banking fraud activities, which include forgery and money laundering, the interior ministry said on Monday.
The arrest, supervised by First Deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister Sheikh Fahad Al-Yousef Al-Sabah, is part of ministry efforts to clamp down on cybercrime and digital fraud, it said in a statement, citing that the criminals created an online platform to make fraudulent phone calls to steal money from victims, using the funds for the purchase and resale of phones to launder the proceeds.
According to initial investigations, the suspects had managed to launder some KD six million in a month through banking fraud and forgery activities, while they have amassed a total of KD 100 million through the use of "shell companies" since 2023, added the statement.
Police have seized KD 108,000 found to be in the possession of one of the suspects, while nine mobile phones the gang had purchased through online scams were confiscated, according to the statement.
The interior ministry is working in conjunction with Kuwait's central bank to retrieve the stolen funds that had been deposited in the bank accounts used by the suspects, which were found to be in violation of existential banking laws and regulations, it said. (end) ajr.nam