Dubai: Dubai Police arrested 17 runaway maids during the first week of Ramadan, an official said on Monday.

Colonel Ali Salem, Director of Infiltrators Department at Dubai Police, warned community members, especially families, from hiring runaway maids as they could pose a serious risk to the society

“As part of a campaign, Dubai Police arrested 17 runaway maids from different nationalities in the first week of Ramadan. There is an increase in domestic workers violating the law recently,” Col Salem said in a statement.

He said that domestic workers can cause serious risks as some use fake names and hired by families to work by hours system. “Community members shouldn’t hire runaway maids as it’s hard to arrest them when they commit crimes. People must report them to the relevant authorities,” Col Salem added.