DUBAI In a daring daylight robbery, an Indian employee of a logistics firm was robbed of Dh100,000 in cash outside a bank in Ras Al Khor on January 10.
Company owner Sachin Prakash Bhanushali told XPRESS that his office manager Deepesh came out of a Commercial Bank of Dubai branch with the money at 10.20am when the incident took place. “Ironically, the robbery occurred in the vicinity of the local police station. My father had given Deepesh a cheque to withdraw Dh100,000 from the bank to pay for a shipment. After encashing the money, Deepesh came to his car which was parked in front of an ATM between the bank and the police station.”
Gone in a flash
Deepesh said: “I kept the envelope with the money inside the car and was about to start the vehicle when a man approached me, pointing to my tyre. I got out of the car to see what he was referring to. He held my hand, pointed to the tyre again and muttered a few words. I was trying to figure out what he was saying, but he let go of my hand and ran away.”
Deepesh said he felt confused and disoriented but even so was conscious of the money he had left behind on the front seat. “I must have been distracted for just a few seconds, but to my worst fears, the envelope was missing by the time I looked for it. The man too was gone in a flash, so I couldn’t give chase.”
He said the suspect was fair-skinned, curly haired and medium in height. “He was wearing a blue shirt and black trousers and spoke in Arabic.”
Bhanushali said Deepesh went to the police station to file a complaint. “We were shocked. Being in the logistics and transport business, we withdraw large sums from the bank on a daily basis to make payments. Never once did we think that such a thing would happen in Dubai, especially since the police station is just next door. Since there was no CCTV outside the bank the police could not get any footage. However, my colleague was shown an online parade of the suspects for identification.”
He said that the bank being located in an industrial hub should have cameras installed outside as it is frequented by traders making high-value transactions.
An immediate response was not available from the police.
Purse snatched
SHARJAH Two men snatched the purse of an Indian housewife as she stepped out of Safeer Market on Sharjah’s King Faisal Street on Saturday evening.
The woman said she was walking towards her Al Majaz home around 10pm when two men dressed in salwar kameez grabbed her purse and disappeared into a dark alley near a sandy parking lot behind Al Sheraa Fisheries.
The purse contained around Dh300 in the cash and the woman’s Emirates ID. A complaint has been lodged at Buheirah Police station. M.F.
