Several in the dock over Dhs1m theft

Mohammed Yaseen, Staff Reporter

The Dubai Public Prosecution referred two Arab nationals and two others who were still at large to the Dubai Criminal Court on charges of stealing Dhs1 million from an Asian by coercion after deceiving him with a fake bag deal.

The case dated back to last June when the victim agreed with the first defendant to enter into a Dhs1 million deal, provided that the money would be received in cash in the defendant’s private office on a specific date to be agreed by the two parties.

The victim stated that he agreed with the first defendant on a deal to buy bags, whereby $511,000 would be transferred to the latter’s account and Dhs1 million would be paid in cash to complete the deal. During the date agreed upon between the two parties, the victim and his partner came to the defendant’s office, where the defendant asked them to change the place in which the deal was supposed to be concluded.

The victim and his partner moved to the specified location where two Africans were waiting for them, one of whom was wearing private security clothing, to lead them to the new location of the first defendant. The other man enquired about the money and the victim told him that the money was in a handbag. When the victim told him that it was in a handbag, the defendant pulled the handbag out despite the resistance and fled away.

A witness from Dubai Police testified in the prosecution’s investigations that investigation teams were formed as soon as a report was received that Dhs1 million had been stolen from a merchant on the highway. The investigations showed that that the first and second defendants were present in the lobby of a hotel. They were arrested immediately and Dhs459,000 was found in their possession together with a paper on which the share of each defendant was written.

In another development, the Dubai Public Prosecution referred an Asian, 43, to the Dubai Criminal Court on charges of stealing 28 medical glove boxes worth Dhs8,400 from his workplace.

The case dated back to last May when a storekeeper responsible for guarding a warehouse for medical supplies at Dubai Health Authority (DHA) stole boxes of medical gloves that were under his custody.

During the prosecution investigations, the defendant confessed to having taken glove boxes after an Asian woman working in a company for supplying medical supplies to the DHA enquired about the possibility of supplying her with 500 medical glove boxes that were badly needed.

The defendant agreed with the woman to supply her with 28 boxes of the required type and to meet her at a mutually agreed place.

The woman stated that the defendant offered her to buy 28 medical glove boxes for Dhs8,400 but she told the DHA official, who notified the competent authorities  accordingly.

The court ordered the defendant to be remanded in custody pending prosecution.