Jobless man admits stealing rings worth Dh244,000

Defendant pleads guilty to using pepper spray to take jeweller’s display try

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2 MIN READ

Dubai: A jobless man has been accused of spraying pepper in the eyes of a jeweller and stealing a display tray containing 100 diamond-plated rings worth Dh244,000.

Prosecutors charged the 29-year-old Romanian, C.F., with attacking the Indian jeweller with pepper spray before he stole the rings and ran away.

The defendant pleaded guilty and confessed to his crime when he appeared before the Dubai Court of First Instance on Wednesday although, according to prosecution records, the heist happened in 2007.

Court records showed that two other Romanian defendants, a man and a woman, were involved in the heist. The woman, M.S., was fined Dh5,000 for possessing the stolen rings. The man, A.M., was jailed three months for the same accusation.

“Did you spray pepper in his eyes to prevent him seeing you before stealing the rings?” Presiding Judge Maher Salama Al Mahdi asked C.F. in courtroom seven on Wednesday.

“Yes, Sir, I did. I am guilty. I seek leniency and a swift judgement,” replied the suspect.

The 27-year-old jeweller, N.K., testified that the incident tookplace at 10am when he was alone in the shop.

“The defendant walked in and asked to check the rings on the display shelves. He pointed at the box that contained nearly 100 rings… he checked the rings. Then suddenly he took out pepper and sprayed it in my eyes. Then he snatched the box and ran out of the shop. I tried to chase him, but he was fast and disappeared. Police summoned me later to identify the photographs of the defendant C.F. I also recognised the rings that were confiscated from A.M.’s possession,” claimed N.K. An Emirati policeman testified that primary interrogations revealed the involvement of M.S. and A.M.

“Police searched their house and found 18 rings hidden in A.M.’s closet, two rings in the sitting room and two other rings with M.S. The defendants claimed during questioning that they were aware about C.F.’s intention to rob the store,” claimed the policeman.

A judgement will be heard on Sunday.

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