European woman fined in theft case

Mohammed Yaseen, Staff Reporter

An Eastern European woman, 46, stole women’s garments from a store of a Dubai shopping mall but was caught by the security guard, who filed a complaint with Dubai Police. The woman was referred to the Dubai Public Prosecution and then to the Court of Misdemeanours, which fined her Dhs5,000.

In his complaint to the police, the security guard said an Eastern European woman stole garments from the store and was about to leave the store when he stopped her to enquire about the goods she had and did not pay for.

Shortly earlier, garment sensor alarms were found in two fitting rooms used by the defendant. Five pieces of garments were found in the defendant’s bag by the time the police arrived and arrested her.

On interrogation, the defendant confessed to having removed the sensor alarms from three pieces in the first floor before she went up to the second floor and took two more pieces. She hid the stolen garments in her bag and was about to leave the store when she was caught.

Separately, the Dubai Court of Appeal upheld a verdict issued by the Court of First Instance sentencing a gang of five Africans to two years in jail to be followed by deportation and fining them Dhs300,000 on charges of stealing an amount equal to the fine from an Asian trader once he left a bank.

The case dated back to February 2020 when the victim filed a complaint in which he stated that he had been assaulted and robbed by coercion by a group of Africans.

The victim stated in the investigations that five people took him by surprise on his way to his vehicle after he encashed a Dhs300,000 cheque from a bank branch in Al Quoz Industrial Area.

The victim added that he tried to resist them but one of them threatened him with a knife, wounded him and tore his shirt before they took his money and fled away with a vehicle.

A policeman stated in the investigations that a criminal investigation team managed to identify the suspects and to arrest them in a neighbouring emirate with Dhs50,000 in their possession.