Driver nicks diesel from trucks, in the dock

Ehab Atta, Staff Reporter

The Dubai Public Prosecution referred an Arab driver, 38, to the Dubai Criminal Court on charges of stealing diesel from the tanks of trucks for transporting diesel, which were parked in a yard.

According to the official records, an Asian driver, 45, testified during the investigations into the theft that around 2.30am he stopped his truck in a truck parking lot near Dubai-Al Ain road to see another truck parking horizontally unlike the trucks parking there. The truck engine and lights were on. 

He walked to that truck and saw a pipe connected from inside its fuel tank to the fuel tank of another parked truck belonging to his friend. The defendant was standing next to that truck and pulling the fuel out using that pipe. The witness asked the defendant what he was doing there but the defendant replied that this was not his business. The witness then told the defendant that he knew the owner of the truck from which the diesel was being pulled out. The defendant replied that the two trucks belonged to the same person and he knew the owner.

The witness told the defendant that this was not true because he knew the owner of the truck and the defendant’s truck had a number plate from a neighbouring GCC country whereas the trucks from which the diesel was being pulled out had a Dubai number plate. At that moment, the confused defendant removed the pipe immediately and ran away.

The witness, however, took a photo of the truck’s number plate and told the police accordingly. On interrogation, the defendant was found to be stealing fuel from other trucks parked in the same place.

In another development, the Criminal Court in Dubai on Sunday sentenced two Asians to three months in jail each to be followed by deportation over failing to pay a hotel bill of Dhs4,000.

The details of the case are due to the fact that the first defendant used the ID card of a compatriot friend to book a hotel room for several days, which resulted in an invoice of about Dhs4,000, which he refused to pay. 

The hotel official called the police, who attended and discovered that the ID card used in the reservation did not belong to the defendant. On questioning him about owner of the ID, he said, “It is mine and I can sign the same signature on it right now.” Accordingly, the cop decided to take him to the police station. But while moving out, he noticed a man waiting in a vehicle and suspected him. On asking the latter (the second suspect) the cop realised that he was the real holder of that ID card. He admitted that he gave it to his friend to reserve the hotel room. The cop then arrested both and they were referred to the Public Prosecution.