Beware of 'undercover agents'

A woman’s distressing experience at the hands of a bogus CID officer has prompted the Ministry of Interior to clarify its policy that any undercover employee may be asked to show his identification.

Lt Mubarak Salem al-Boe- [name appears cut off] head of the Media Section, told Gulf Times: “You can certainly ask any official not in uniform to produce an ID showing the organisation he belongs to before following any instructions.”

The assurance comes after an unwitting mother-of-two was manhandled last week by a man purporting to belong to the Criminal Investigations Department.

The traumatised victim claims she was accosted in broad daylight close to her office in the Bin Mahmoud area.

Talking to Gulf Times, the 34-year-old advertising executive said that she and a co-worker were waiting for their driver outside a grocery store when their vehicle was approached by a white Toyota Camry at 10am.

The driver of the Camry car wore national dress and he began speaking to the pair.

The woman explained: “We thought maybe the gentleman wanted us to move the car.”

When the woman’s driver emerged from the shop, the Arab man got out of his vehicle and started shouting at the three perplexed colleagues while banging on their car window.

He demanded to know where they were heading to.

After being told, he insisted on driving the passengers himself to make sure they “were not lying.”

“After what felt like a very long commotion, with the guy hitting my side of the window, us getting out and sessions of interrogation, he forced us to his car,” said the woman.

“While I was being pushed I kept thinking that my other side come with me too.”

As the pair made their way to the Camry, the man who had told them he was a CID official tried to force the worried woman into the front seat.

When she refused he again became angry and fearing her resistance was making matters worse she quickly got into rear seat.

[There appears to be a box/sidebar with bullet points about “Measures to be taken” including items about sexual harassment, but some text is cut off]

After he got out, he extended his arm through the window, placed it on my left knee and started pressing it. He was smirking while he was touching me. He then told me that he had free whiskey!”

Finally comprehending the man’s real intentions, the woman got out of the vehicle and noted his number plate before running to her place of work.

“After stepping inside the office I ran towards the restroom as I had broken down at this point,” said the shaken expat.

“When I came out I saw the Camry parked near the office arguing with our senior Arab-speaking official.”

The bogus officer was claiming that he had witnessed the woman and her co-worker in the back of the car. He had merely approached them to make sure “everything was OK.”

When the man was asked to produce some documentation he was unable to do so.

The victim said: “He started apologising profusely and said his car number must not be reported to the police as it was a family car.”

Although the woman has said she will not pursue the matter with the authorities - believing it would make no difference - she did speak to the Gulf Times in order to warn other women not to put themselves in any needless danger.

The MoI official, while explaining that residents have the right to see the ID of anyone in plainclothes claiming to be an officer of any department, also urged people who have been the victim of such a crime to contact their nearest police station immediately.