Dubai: A man suspected of stealing Dh4 million worth of saffron over a one-year period from shops in the Naif area was arrested by Dubai Police on Sunday evening.
Brigadier Khalil Ebrahim Al Mansouri, director of Dubai Police's Criminal Investigation Department, said the suspect, who previously worked as a saffron trader in Iran, is believed to have used his knowledge of different varieties of saffron to his advantage and disguised himself as a porter. He apparently lived close to the shops in Al Ras area and would strike as soon as a fresh batch of saffron arrived.
He is accused of committing his first theft in February last year and, by the time of his arrest, is believed to have stolen from 11 shops, while three of his attempts failed.
The suspect would allegedly use a small lever to open the shop he intended to steal from, load the saffron on to a trolley and stash it away in an empty room near his house. Another person believed to have helped him sell the stolen goods was also arrested.
Investigations
Lieutenant Colonel Ahmad Humaid Al Murri, director of the CID's Criminal Investigation Section, said police received a number of reports about saffron stolen as soon as it arrived in shops, with most robberies committed at night or during lunch breaks, between 2pm and 3.30pm.
Suspicion fell on a person working as a porter in the market, and police started collecting information about him when they acted on a tip off about another man looking for a buyer for a huge amount of saffron.
An undercover informant was able to coax the suspected middleman into making a deal. A trap was set for the middleman, identified as A.M. He confessed that he was just an agent for another person and informed the police about the main suspect's whereabouts.
Police arrested the main suspect, who was identified as A.K, an Afghan. He confessed to the thefts and showed police the rented room near his house where he stored the stolen saffron.
