Dubai: A jobless man, who broke the front glass door of a mobile phone shop and stole 8,312 memory cards worth around Dh128,000, has been jailed for two years.
The 22-year-old Nigerian man, A.K., was said to have stolen the memory cards of different sizes and capacities from the mobile phone shop in Naif in September 2013.
The Dubai Court of First Instance convicted A.K. of theft after he pleaded guilty and admitted stealing the memory cards.
Presiding judge Mohammad Jamal said the accused will be deported after serving his jail term.
The Iranian owner of the shop testified that he discovered the robbery at 9am when he went to open his outlet.
“When I reached my shop, I saw the front glass door broken and that someone had trespassed into the place and stolen the memory cards. When I checked the surveillance cameras, the footage revealed an African-looking man carrying out the robbery at 4.50am,” said the Iranian.
A policeman testified that the accused was already in custody for his involvement in another robbery carried out using the same modus operandi.
“We brought him in for questioning, and he confessed that he and his accomplice [A.E.] used an iron rod to break the glass door and enter the shop. He admitted that they ran away shortly after they stole the memory cards. Records said A.K. has a rich criminal record,” claimed the policeman.
Tuesday’s ruling remains subject to appeal within 15 days.
