Verdict on livestock theft case on Thursday

Ras Al Khaimah: The Ras Al Khaimah court will issue its verdict tomorrow in the case of four Emiratis who were arrested for stealing more than 400 sheep from local farms in Ras Al Khaimah, a judiciary official told Gulf News yesterday.

According to prosecution the four formed a gang to steal livestock from farms in the emirate. "They were arrested following complaints by owners of farms about an increase in theft of their livestock," the source said.

The complainant said the suspected thieves sneaked into the farms at night and stole the sheep and goats.

The four Emirati men (ages between 17 and 45) confessed to the charges and admitted that they stole 400 different livestocks in 31 instances.

Gang leader

Official said that a gang member aged 45 was the head of the gang.

Official said that the gang carried out the thefts in a four-wheel vehicle, but sometimes they used a pick-up truck at night. They targeted many farms in various areas in the emirate.

An official said that police had set a trap to arrest the gang after many reports of livestock theft were registered in police stations in the emirate.

The official said that police arrested the suspects red handed while they were raiding a farm in the emirate.

Police had referred the accused to public prosecution, who referred them to court to face charges, the official added.