Muscat: Three Pakistanis were arrested for allegedly stealing gold worth 1.4 million rials from jewellery shops in Muscat — the biggest gold heist in the country’s history — according to Royal Oman Police (ROP).
The gang used blowtorches to break in to jewellery shops in both Seeb and Muttrah provinces late at night. They stored the stolen gold in a flat in Muscat and had hired someone who works in the UAE to come to Oman to smelt the gold, an official at ROP told Gulf News.
They were planning to smuggle the gold abroad.
The official added that it took a lot of efforts from the police to nab the perpetrators. “Personnel at the Criminal Investigation Department analysed hundreds of hours of camera footage from the streets, as well as phone calls, and questioned many people,” said the official.
The department cracked the case after two of the suspects returned the rented car they used to commit the crime just hours before they headed for the airport.
The suspects were asked to disembark from the plane just before take-off and arrested before they could flee the country. Two other suspects, including the mastermind, are still at large outside the country.
The arrested suspects admitted to the crime and were referred to the public prosecution for further investigation and trial.
The suspects said that they had received orders from the mastermind, who is believed to be in Bahrain. Bahraini authorities have been informed and requested to arrest the culprit and hand him over to Oman.
Many jewellery shop owners have demanded the authorities to intensify patrolling in Muttrah and Seeb souqs, as they are forced to pay high insurance premiums for their shops considering the number of robberies taking place in the two areas.
