Dubai: A jewellery store technician has been accused of stealing 30kg of gold dust worth Dh4 million from the store where he worked.
The 33-year-old Filipino assistant technician pleaded guilty when he appeared before the Dubai Court of First Instance Tuesday. According to the arraignment sheet, prosecutors charged 33-year-old R.R., of exploiting his position at the jewellery store and stealing the gold dust.
"Yes sir I stole the gold dust … but the amount is much more less than the amount mentioned in the records," contended R.R. before Presiding Judge Hamad Abdul Latif Abdul Jawad.
The jewellery store's Sudanese general manager testified that they discovered that nearly 30kg of gold dust was missing after the store did an inventory.
"We discovered later that the suspect used to steal the gold dust and hide it in his lunch box … then he used to smuggle it out of the store without being noticed. We reported the matter to the police. When he was questioned at the police station, R.R. confessed to me and the investigating officer that he stole the gold dust," the general manager said. An Emirati policeman testified that a jeweller reported to the police that a Filipino person was selling them stolen gold.
"Police monitored the jewellery store in the Gold Souq. He [R.R.] walked into the shop, but when the salesman warned him that the store was under police surveillance, he ran out.
Police immediately arrested R.R. and confiscated a small bag containing gold dust.
"He confessed that he stole the gold dust from his work place. He admitted he had been stealing the gold dust for two months, hiding the gold dust in his lunch box and smuggling it out of his workplace. He said that he had smuggled out gold dust seven times and sold it to another suspect," the policeman said.
A judgement will be heard later this month.
