Ajman Police have arrested two men accused of duping a number of people out of money while claiming to practise witchcraft.
Investigations began after several people reported to police that they had been conned out of money by the two Arab men.
The men are said to have told victims that they could perform rituals to help solve their problems. They charged fees for the purported services.
Lt Col Ahmed Al Nuaimi, director of the Criminal Investigations Department at Ajman Police, said his team planned a sting operation to catch the pair in the act.
An undercover officer contacted the men, agreed to pay Dh10,000 ($2,720) for their services and arranged to meet them at a hotel in Ajman.
The men had items such as documents, oils and a book in their possession when they were detained by police. Officers said the men were also dressed in unusual clothing.
The accused have been referred to prosecutors for legal proceedings.
Ajman Police warned the public not to be taken in by fraudsters claiming to use witchcraft to solve their problems.
Lt Col Al Nuaimi called on members of the public to report any incidents of people advertising services related to witchcraft or sorcery to the police.
Dubai customs seize items associated with black magic: in pictures
Our legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants
If you go
The flights
There are direct flights from Dubai to Sofia with FlyDubai (www.flydubai.com) and Wizz Air (www.wizzair.com), from Dh1,164 and Dh822 return including taxes, respectively.
The trip
Plovdiv is 150km from Sofia, with an hourly bus service taking around 2 hours and costing $16 (Dh58). The Rhodopes can be reached from Sofia in between 2-4hours.
The trip was organised by Bulguides (www.bulguides.com), which organises guided trips throughout Bulgaria. Guiding, accommodation, food and transfers from Plovdiv to the mountains and back costs around 170 USD for a four-day, three-night trip.
More from our Neighbourhood series:
11 cabbie-recommended restaurants and dishes to try in Abu Dhabi
Iqbal Restaurant behind Wendy’s on Hamdan Street for the chicken karahi (Dh14)
Pathemari in Navy Gate for prawn biryani (from Dh12 to Dh35)
Abu Al Nasar near Abu Dhabi Mall, for biryani (from Dh12 to Dh20)
Bonna Annee at Navy Gate for Ethiopian food (the Bonna Annee special costs Dh42 and comes with a mix of six house stews – key wet, minchet abesh, kekel, meser be sega, tibs fir fir and shiro).
Al Habasha in Tanker Mai for Ethiopian food (tibs, a hearty stew with meat, is a popular dish; here it costs Dh36.75 for lamb and beef versions)
Himalayan Restaurant in Mussaffa for Nepalese (the momos and chowmein noodles are best-selling items, and go for between Dh14 and Dh20)
Makalu in Mussaffa for Nepalese (get the chicken curry or chicken fry for Dh11)
Al Shaheen Cafeteria near Guardian Towers for a quick morning bite, especially the egg sandwich in paratha (Dh3.50)
Pinky Food Restaurant in Tanker Mai for tilapia
Tasty Zone for Nepalese-style noodles (Dh15)
Ibrahimi for Pakistani food (a quarter chicken tikka with roti costs Dh16)
