Dubai Two men have been accused of breaking into the residence of an immigration officer, who was out with his family attending a wedding, and stealing around Dh1 million in cash and valuables in September.

The Emirati officer was said to have accompanied his wife and children to a wedding ceremony and when they returned to their home in Al Warqa they discovered that they had been robbed.

When the wife went up to her bedroom, she discovered that the door had been broken and that the safe was open, according to records.

The Emirati house owner reported the matter to the police. Primary interrogations revealed the involvement of two Chinese visitors, aged 31 and 25, in the heist.

Police identified the Chinese duo following their involvement in other breaking and entering incidents that had employed the same modus operandi.

When a police patrol went to apprehend the duo, they resisted the police officers and beat them up.

Records said the police called for backup and managed to restrain the 31-year-old and the 25-year-old visitors.

Prosecutors accused the two suspects of using a crowbar and a screwdriver to break into the villa and steal Dh800,000 worth of valuable watches and jewellery and between Dh150,000 and Dh200,000 in cash from the safe.

A 36-year-old Chinese suspect was accused of possessing part of the stolen items.

When they showed up before the Dubai Court of First Instance, the 31-year-old and the 25-year-old suspects admitted that they broke into the villa and stole cash and valuables.

However, they denied the accusation of resisting arrest and beating the policemen.

Meanwhile, the 36-year-old suspect denied taking some of the stolen items.

“Did he [third suspect] know that the seized items were stolen?” presiding judge Urfan Omar asked the two other suspects.

They both replied no.

The immigration officer testified to prosecutors that he discovered he had been robbed at 3am when he and his family returned from the wedding reception.

A police lieutenant told prosecutors that the 31-year-old and the 25-year-old suspects resisted arrest ferociously and beat up the policemen.

“We restrained the suspects and took them into custody. During questioning, they admitted that they drove their rented car to Al Warqa area where they looked out for villas to rob. They said that they scaled the villa’s wall, used the crowbar and screwdriver to break into the residence and stole the cash and valuables from safe,” he testified to prosecutors.