Dubai: A vendor at an electronics store has been accused of stealing 22 smart phones and smuggling them out of the store by tying them to his leg under his trousers.
Two Indian vendors during stocktaking at the store were said to have spotted their 40-year-old Ugandan colleague stealing two earpieces on two different occasions in December 2015.
The Indian vendors reported the incidents to their supervisor. According to records, on checking the surveillance cameras, the supervisors found the 40-year-old Ugandan vendor behaving strangely in the storehouse and stealing the smart phones and taking them out of the storehouse by tying them to his leg.
During an internal investigation by the store management, the Ugandan vendor admitted that he had stolen around 22 smart phones between November and December 2015.
Prosecutors accused the suspect of stealing smart phones [iPhone and Samsung] worth Dh61,000 from his workplace.
The suspect failed to show up before the Dubai Court of First Instance where he was scheduled to enter a plea on Thursday.
The store’s Filipino assistant manager told prosecutors that the suspect was responsible for tagging, pricing and stacking the newly arrived devices at the storehouse.
“During an investigation at the management’s office, the suspect admitted that he stole 22 phones … and signed a written confession,” the manager told prosecutors.
Presiding judge Urfan Omar will sentence the suspect in absentia on July 27.
