Wafi robbers 'highly skilled'

Dubai: The robbers who raided a jewellery store in Wafi City on Sunday night have been described as "highly skilled".

Lieutenant General Dahi Khalfan Tamim, Chief of Dubai Police, said the suspects looted Graff jewellery store in one minute and 45 seconds. Investigators reached the site within three minutes, but by that time the suspects had escaped.

Police have launched a massive hunt for the robbers. "We are still not sure whether the suspects were carrying weapons, but they were carrying tools which they used to break the glass during the heist," Lt Gen Dahi said.

Witnesses, however, told Gulf News they saw a short suspect jumping out from a black car with a pistol in his hand.

The men had burst into the store using two cars and made off with huge amounts of jewellery. Officials close to the investigation said the diamonds that were looted were displayed in four glass showcases in the front of the shop.

Both the cars, one black and the other white, used in the heist were stolen; one had a Dubai registration plate while the other was registered in Abu Dhabi. The suspects abandoned the vehicles in Zabeel, and tried to burn both the cars, but managed to set only one ablaze. They vanished from there.

Brigadier Dr Jamal Al Merri, Deputy Director of Dubai Police, earlier told Gulf News that this was the first time he had seen such an operation in Dubai.

Officials close to the investigation said teams had been formed and they were collecting evidence from the site. Several people have also been questioned.