DOHA: The police have busted a gang of 19 Asians whose criminal activities can put a Hollywood crime thriller to shame.
The gang was involved in large-scale brewing of illicit liquor for sale, obviously to those who can’t access or afford commercial brands.
They used stolen ID cards of expatriates and forged their signatures to buy second-hand cars in their name to supply the hooch.
Their crimes didn’t end here — crude violence was involved, too, and choppers and knives were used rather freely in what seemed to be rivalries.
Core gang members “recruited” accomplices on monthly salaries for “brewing” as well as for “selling and promoting the hooch”.
The gang’s criminal enterprises came to an end after an incident of violence put the police on their trail.
One of a group of three persons attacked by members of the gang with choppers blew the whistle on them and the law-enforcement agencies came cracking down.
Details of the gang and their crimes were given by local Arabic daily Al Raya in a report published on Thursday after a criminal court sentenced them to jail for varying terms.
Most of the 19, all Asians, were sentenced to three years in jail and some to four for forging signatures for car purchases.
The convicts were also asked by the court to collectively pay QR62,000 ($17,000) in damages to the trio that was assaulted.
The court ruled that all the convicts be deported after they had served their jail terms.
On the day the gang was busted, the police got a tip-off that one group of people had attacked another in the Industrial Area.
A police team reached the spot and recovered four choppers and a fire extinguisher which was being used as a weapon by one of the gang members, who would discharge it in his victim’s face.
Also found at the site was a pack of 10 bottles of illegally home-distilled liquor that were meant for sale.
The police took some people into custody and they led them to where the gang brewed illicit hooch on a large scale.
One of the gang members had rented a place in Al Rayyan for the illegal brewing, while another had taken a place on Al Nasr Street.
The gang had “recruited” a Vietnamese national on a monthly “salary” to “promote and sell” the illicit liquor.
He had been working with the gang for nine months. Some others, including a driver, had been “working” with the gang on monthly payment.
The driver had been “hired” on a salary of QR5,000 ($1,373) to supply the hooch “in the market”.
Police investigations revealed that the gang was also stealing ID cards of expatriates and somehow managing to get hold of ID cards of some of those who had been deported.
The ID cards were used to buy second-hand cars for use in supplying the hooch. The signatures of the card holders were forged.
THE PENINSULA
