Dubai: A porter, charged with attempted theft, stunned a judge on Thursday when he alleged he opened passengers’ luggage looking for food as he got hungry after 10-hours of non-stop work.
“I got very hungry after working for 10 hours non-stop … I still had two more hours to finish my shift. when I was spotted opening a luggage in search for something to eat,” said the 23-year-old Pakistani porter while entering a guilty plea before the Dubai Court of First Instance.
Prosecutors charged 23-year-old B.A. with attempting to steal unidentified personal belongings from luggage whose owners remained ambiguous.
Records said security guards at Dubai International Airport’s luggage belts spotted B.A. opening passengers’ bags but no stolen items were seized in his possession.
“Why did you open the bags if you didn’t steal anything?” presiding judge Ezzat Abdul Lat asked the suspect in courtroom three.
“I work at the airport as a porter. I had two more hours to finish my shift, but I felt very hungry. I opened some bags in search for food … but then suddenly I felt guilty and realised my behaviour was bad. I immediately closed the bag. I did not take anything,” the suspect replied.
An Indian security supervisor testified to prosecutors: “One of the staff claimed he saw the suspect searching luggage wanting to steal. B.A. admitted he did search for luggage in front of someone, but I don’t recall his name. I saw a video footage showing a person searching luggage, but I could not make sure whether it was the suspect or somebody else.”
A policeman claimed to prosecutors the suspect searched luggage of passengers travelling to Hyderabad.
The suspect told presiding judge Abdul Lat: “I lost my job and I have been borrowing money from friends to survive. I am in debt now and I am seeking mercy and forgiveness.”
A ruling will be heard on February 26.