Latest news with #BD31
Gulf Insider
16-05-2025
- Gulf Insider
2 Jailed, Deported for Stolen Card Phone Scam
Two sisters flew into Bahrain and, in the space of just three months, racked up 77 mobile phones using stolen credit cards from a Gulf country. Their ringleader, an Arab man still on the run, took care of the data side. The women handled the pickups and sales. The phones were delivered to their flat, and they sold the lot. Now the High Criminal Court has handed down a six-year sentence to the mastermind and fined him BD100,000. The sisters got four years each. The court also ordered the confiscation of BD21,846.639 in proceeds and ruled they be deported once they serve their time. Pattern The case came to light when a well-known electronics firm noticed a kept pouring in online. Payment came from an Arab country, but the boxes landed in Bahrain. Something didn't add up. A police lieutenant from the Financial Intelligence National Centre dug deeper. He found 77 phones, worth nearly BD31,000, had been bought through the same channels between September and December 2024. Orders The orders were traced to one address, the flat rented by the two women. They were arrested, questioned, and they talked. The sisters said they came to Bahrain after the lead suspect offered them a role helping shift smart devices. They each took home BD1,500, which they sent to family in the Gulf. They had local SIM cards registered in their names. They gave him their email addresses and flat details. The orders were made under their names. The scam, it seems, ran like clockwork. The ringleader fed stolen card data into the electronics shop's website. Once the phones arrived, the women sold them and wired the proceeds to him, sometimes through currency exchanges, sometimes using go-betweens. One of those helpers later said he agreed to send money on behalf of one of the sisters because she claimed her visit visa didn't allow direct transfers. She told him it was for her mother's medical treatment. A payment service worker added to the case, confirming that several banks had raised the alarm over dodgy payments tied to the same retailer. In total, BD31,081.366 had been charged to various cards issued by Gulf banks. Prosecutors said the transfers and the coordination pointed to a clear scam. They charged all three with laundering the proceeds of online fraud. Funds The main defendant was also charged with stealing funds by using card data he wasn't supposed to have. The sisters were accused of helping him by buying SIMs, renting a flat, and setting up the deliveries. Once the scam was up and running, they handed over the phones, took their slice, and sent the rest abroad. Also read: 44 Truckloads Of Waste From Illegal Manama Street Vendors Cleared
Daily Tribune
15-05-2025
- Daily Tribune
Two jailed, face deportation for purchasing 77 phones with stolen credit cards
Two sisters flew into Bahrain and, in the space of just three months, racked up 77 mobile phones using stolen credit cards from a Gulf country. Their ringleader, an Arab man still on the run, took care of the data side. The women handled the pickups and sales. The phones were delivered to their flat, and they sold the lot. Now the High Criminal Court has handed down a six-year sentence to the mastermind and fined him BD100,000. The sisters got four years each. The court also ordered the confiscation of BD21,846.639 in proceeds and ruled they be deported once they serve their time. Pattern The case came to light when a well-known electronics firm noticed a pattern. Orders kept pouring in online. Payment came from an Arab country, but the boxes landed in Bahrain. Something didn't add up. A police lieutenant from the Financial Intelligence National Centre dug deeper. He found 77 phones, worth nearly BD31,000, had been bought through the same channels between September and December 2024. Orders The orders were traced to one address, the flat rented by the two women. They were arrested, questioned, and they talked. The sisters said they came to Bahrain after the lead suspect offered them a role helping shift smart devices. They each took home BD1,500, which they sent to family in the Gulf. They had local SIM cards registered in their names. They gave him their email addresses and flat details. The orders were made under their names. The scam, it seems, ran like clockwork. The ringleader fed stolen card data into the electronics shop's website. Once the phones arrived, the women sold them and wired the proceeds to him, sometimes through currency exchanges, sometimes using go-betweens. One of those helpers later said he agreed to send money on behalf of one of the sisters because she claimed her visit visa didn't allow direct transfers. She told him it was for her mother's medical treatment. A payment service worker added to the case, confirming that several banks had raised the alarm over dodgy payments tied to the same retailer. In total, BD31,081.366 had been charged to various cards issued by Gulf banks. Prosecutors said the transfers and the coordination pointed to a clear scam. They charged all three with laundering the proceeds of online fraud. Funds The main defendant was also charged with stealing funds by using card data he wasn't supposed to have. The sisters were accused of helping him by buying SIMs, renting a flat, and setting up the deliveries. Once the scam was up and running, they handed over the phones, took their slice, and sent the rest abroad.
Gulf Insider
09-04-2025
- Gulf Insider
Sisters Charged In BD31,000 Stolen Card Phone
Two sisters, of Arab origin, flew into Bahrain on visit visas. Within three months they had helped order 77 mobile phones worth more than BD31,000 using stolen credit card details from a Gulf country. The women, aged 39 and 35, were not acting alone. A 26-year-old Arab man, still at large, handled the online side from abroad. He placed the orders using hacked bank card data. The deliveries all went to the sisters' address in Bahrain. They received the goods, sold them, and passed the money back to him. Staff at the electronics company began to notice something wasn't right. The same address kept coming up. The payments were foreign, but the deliveries local. They alerted the authorities. An officer from the Ministry of Interior's National Financial Intelligence Centre said the orders were placed between September and December 2024. The total came to BD31,081.366. Police traced the address and arrested the two women. Shipments The second defendant admitted receiving regular shipments two or three times a month. She said she was told to open four or five Bahraini SIM cards and hand over the numbers. Her co-defendant backed up the story. Also read: Fatal Crash Claims Lives Of Two Bahrainis
Daily Tribune
08-04-2025
- Daily Tribune
Sisters charged in BD31,000 stolen card phone scam
Two sisters, of Arab origin, flew into Bahrain on visit visas. Within three months they had helped order 77 mobile phones worth more than BD31,000 using stolen credit card details from a Gulf country. The women, aged 39 and 35, were not acting alone. A 26-year-old Arab man, still at large, handled the online side from abroad. He placed the orders using hacked bank card data. The deliveries all went to the sisters' address in Bahrain. They received the goods, sold them, and passed the money back to him. Staff at the electronics company began to notice something wasn't right. The same address kept coming up. The payments were foreign, but the deliveries local. They alerted the authorities. An officer from the Ministry of Interior's National Financial Intelligence Centre said the orders were placed between September and December 2024. The total came to BD31,081.366. Police traced the address and arrested the two women. The second defendant admitted receiving regular shipments two or three times a month. She said she was told to open four or five Bahraini SIM cards and hand over the numbers.
Daily Tribune
29-01-2025
- Business
- Daily Tribune
EWA cuts costs but faces BD240 million deficit, sparking ‘financial stability' concerns
The Electricity and Water Authority (EWA) has saved BD167 million over three years, but this has done little to close its BD240-million operational shortfall, according to Electricity and Water Affairs Minister, His Excellency Yasser bin Ebrahim Humaidan. Addressing Parliament yesterday, Humaidan said the authority's cost-cutting measures had reduced annual expenses by BD31 million in 2022 and BD68 million in 2023, with similar results estimated for 2024, though accounts for the year remain open. These savings are part of a financial recovery plan introduced after the government began scaling back its direct support for the authority in 2017, eventually halting it entirely in 2022. Subsidy The annual subsidy once stood at BD350 million. 'These steps are aimed at stabilising the authority's finances,' said Humaidan, adding that Parliament's cooperation would be essential in tackling remaining challenges. The minister noted that indirect government support has continued, primarily through the provision of subsidised natural gas sold to the authority at $2 per million BTUs — far below the market rate of $4. He estimated this support reduces the deficit to between BD85 million and BD90 million, which must be addressed in the next budget. MP Mohammed Al Ahmed raised concerns in response, questioning why the authority had not yet reached financial stability despite its savings. 'We hear about efforts to cut costs, but the deficit remains. Are there new measures being considered to finally balance the books?' he asked. Al Ahmed questioned whether the authority had done enough to address the long-standing cost of electricity production, which has remained at 29 fils per unit for decades. 'Has there been any effort to bring this cost down over the years? Or is 29 fils here to stay?' he said. He also raised concerns about privatisation, asking how the formation of the Electricity and Water Holding Company might affect tariffs, particularly for unsubsidised citizens and small businesses. Pinch 'If costs rise for these groups, what will that mean for local businesses already feeling the pinch?' Humaidan reassured MPs that the current shortfall had not resulted in increased electricity prices for citizens, as the authority continues to implement government-mandated tariff reductions. 'This is a decision from the government, not the authority or the ministry,' he explained.
