Six men cleared of ransacking Dubai villa

Hamza M Sengendo, Staff Reporter

Six men suspected to have broken into a holidaymaker’s villa and made off with Dhs153,400 in cash and valuables have won a second acquittal.

The Sri Lankan clerk, 48, cleaner, 36, agent, 33, visitor, 31, salesman, 27, and a countryman first appeared on trial on Jan.7 on suspicion they stormed the villa in Al Garhoud area on Jul.13, 2016.

They allegedly scaled the fence at night and used a lever to force their way in through the rear door leading to the swimming pool. They combed his bedroom for valuables and decamped with a small safe. It contained Dhs8,000, SAR3,000, $5,000 and Euros besides a wallet, bank cards, gold jewellery, watches, accessories, an iPad and a laptop – all worth Dhs120,000. They also stole his maid’s Dhs4,000.

A forensic report showed the salon’s rear door was opened with a screwdriver. It was alleged that the defendants confessed to the burglary and each one directed police investigators to the scene.

During court questioning, they argued they were framed. They said they were in detention over another case when investigators levelled this case against them. The clerk presented a memo.

The Criminal Court pronounced them innocent. Prosecutors appealed to challenge the ruling and demanded the toughest punishment. The Appeals Court has upheld their acquittal citing inconclusive evidence. The villa owner – an engineer from Saint Kitts and Nevis – was holidaying in Turkey when one of his employees at a Dubai contracting company contacted to notify him his villa was ransacked in his absence.

He returned and discovered his bedroom and the maid’s room were stormed. “There were no cameras in the house,” he explained. “Valuables police recovered from the defendants did not belong to me.” An Emirati lieutenant testified during prosecution investigations that he forgot the details of the case, having happened two years ago. “The defendants were involved in several burglary cases,” he explained. “I arrested the first five but I don’t remember the place and date of arrest. I questioned them and they confessed to all cases including the one in question. However, I don’t remember details of their confessions.

“We seized several stolen valuables from their apartment and presented them to complainants but I don’t remember whether any of them belonged to the complainant in question.”

He added that he did not remember whether any burglary tool was seized with the defendants or inside their apartment. He claimed the defendants directed cops to targeted houses.