Garda fraud detectives made a series of arrests in Dublin city centre yesterday as part of a serious fraud investigation. Three men were being held in Pearse Street station last night, and another two were detained in Harcourt Terrace.
A Garda spokesman said the men were suspected of having acted under false pretences. Their period of detention under Section Four of the Criminal Justice Act was extended late last night by six hours.
Three of the arrests were made in Dublin city centre at lunchtime yesterday at College Street and Baggot Street by members of the Garda Bureau of Fraud Investigation, according to the Garda Press Office. An eyewitness said a man arrested on College Street was pulled from a taxi by a number of plain-clothes gardai, and was pinned to the ground after strenuously resisting arrest. All three people detained at lunchtime were taken to Pearse Street Garda station.
Garda spokesmen were not in a position to confirm RTE radio reports that the arrests related to an international fraud. The station reported that forged bank drafts worth millions of US dollars were seized during a follow-up search in a house in Clonee, Co Meath, along with several thousand pounds in cash. Garda sources were reported by the station to have said one of the five tried to swallow a forged bank draft in the sum of US$56 million when arrested. A forged bank draft in the sum of US$40 million was also reported to have been seized during the follow-up search in Clonee, along with another for US$15 million. The perpetrators are also said by RTE to have produced bank drafts for millions of US dollars to convince victims that they were people of substance.