Dubai police say detergent left by woman causes panic in GEMS Wellington School

Dubai Police said a woman who left detergent powder in a school, triggered an “unnecessary” reaction from its authorities.

At 11am on Tuesday morning, a latin woman in her thirties used her parent access card to enter the GEMS Wellington School on Al Khail Road.

She was believed to have performed a “suspicious activity” in the premises before leaving the location, officials said.

That left to a lockdown in the school, with parents contacted to pick up their children.

It was later found that the woman had left some detergent, police commander-in-chief major general Abdullah Khalifa Al Marri said.

Dubai Police confirmed the nature of the cleaning material and also called in the woman for questioning.

“The school management seems to have rushed sending messages causing unnecessary panic among parents,” police said.

Update on the GEMS Wellington incident :
The woman ( a parent in her 30s ) entered the school wearing a medical mask and carrying some cleaning powder and detergents in a bid to participate in cleaning the school and show the school’s cleaners “how to clean properly”.

— Dubai Policeشرطة دبي (@DubaiPoliceHQ) June 12, 2019

GEMS Education had previously confirmed that police were investigating the incident.

Following the incident, all the students were sent home.

Colonel Faisal AlQasim, Director of Security Media at Dubai Police, has called on the public to disregard any rumours regarding the safety and security of the emirate. AlQasim also called the public to refer to the force’s official channels for reliable information.

— Dubai Policeشرطة دبي (@DubaiPoliceHQ) June 12, 2019