Plea hearing begins in credit card forgery case

Manama : The Supreme Appeals Court has begun to hear appeals of four men, including two bank employees, involved in a credit card forgery case. 

The duo,  serving at a call centre of a foreign bank here  reportedly stole customers’ information, including bank accounts and handed over  them to their accomplices, who used them to forge the credit cards.

Three of them were sentenced to five years behind bars while the other co-defendant was sentenced to three years imprisonment.

“We were promised 15pc of each withdrawal made,” the second defendant told prosecutors.

They reportedly transferred BD7,500 from an unknown person’s account in the bank to an electronics shop to purchase 13 smartphones.

 The deal was cancelled due to insufficient funds and the shopkeeper issued a paycheck in return of the paid money. 

The defendants, however, were requested to provide a receipt for the transfer they had made. Meanwhile, the employee, who processed the transaction, got suspicious as the defendants had failed to provide proof. 

He informed the police, who in a sting operation, nabbed the gang while they were attempting to launder the money.