Dubai: A storehouse keeper has been jailed for three months for stealing a mobile phone from Dubai airport and keeping it with his wife, who faces a three-month suspended sentence.
The Dubai Court of First Instance convicted the 33-year-old Indian of stealing a mobile phone which was left behind in a washroom at Dubai International Airport's duty free section.
Presiding Judge Al Saeed Mohammad Barghout also convicted his 33-year-old Indian wife, but suspended her sentence after she claimed that she was unaware that the mobile phone was stolen.
Prosecutors charged the keeper, A.H., with stealing the mobile phone, which belonged to an Emirati police sergeant. A.H.'s wife, M.L. was charged with possessing stolen goods.
"I walked into the washroom to perform the ablution and prepare myself for prayer... I remembered that I forgot my mobile in the washroom… I looked for it but I couldn't find it. It was also switched off when I tried to call my number," claimed the sergeant in his statement.
When he appeared in court, A.H. denied stealing the phone and claimed that he found it in the washroom.
When questioned by the Public Prosecution, the keeper claimed that he replaced the original SIM card with that of his wife and gave her the mobile.
The primary judgment is still subject to appeal within 15 days.
