Dubai: Five visitors have been jailed for five years each for breaking into a villa and stealing Dh766,000 worth of gold jewellery and cash after damaging the surveillance camera system.

The five Colombian men, G.A., F.S., J.A., J.B. and C.K., had broken into an Emirati man’s villa from where they stole the valuables in Nad Al Hammar area in June. The Dubai Court of First Instance convicted the Colombians of breaking into a house and stealing.

Meanwhile, two Sudanese defendants, T.A. and M.M., who had guided the Colombians to the villa, were jailed for three years each.

Presiding judge Urfan Omar convicted T.A. and M.M. of aiding and abetting the burglars.

The seven convicts will be deported following the completion of their punishments.

The Colombians used a screwdriver and a crowbar, according to records, to break into the villa and then wrecked the wardrobes and drawers and destroyed the CCTV system.

G.A. was found guilty of forging a British passport and using it to rent a car [that was used in the robbery].

The Sudanese men pleaded innocent and denied knowing the Colombians when they defended themselves in court.

T.A. contended in court: “We don’t know them and we had no agreement to assist them in the theft.”

“I was at the hotel when the incident happened … I did not participate in this incident,” G.A. said.

F.S., J.A., J.B. and C.K. admitted that they carried out the heist but they contended that the amount was less than Dh766,000.

According to records the Colombians stole Dh450,000 worth of gold items, Dh250,000 worth of wristwatches and Dh66,000 in cash. They wrecked the surveillance system and stole its remote control.

The Sudanese convicts were said to have provided the Colombians with logistical assistance.

The Emirati man said his villa was burgled shortly after he locked up and left at 6.30pm.

“I locked the main door and the villa’s entrance and left. When I returned around 11.30pm, I realised that someone had burgled my villa. The burglars had wrecked the wardrobes and drawers and stolen my valuables. I reported the matter to the police. Two weeks later, I was summoned by the police to identify some valuables that had been found in the possession of a gang of Colombian burglars. Most of my items have been recovered,” he claimed.

A police corporal testified that primary interrogations revealed that the defendants had been driving a white new Range Rover.

“The car had been rented by a British man. Residency records confirmed that the bearer of the passports was not a UAE resident and he had not visited the country. Further interrogations revealed that T.A. had been involved in the burglary and in other burglaries using the same modus operandi. The latter was arrested in Sharjah. During questioning he confessed to aiding and abetting the Colombians to carry out the heist. He said M.M. had introduced him to the Colombians. The remaining defendants were arrested later,” claimed the policeman.

Monday’s ruling remains subject to appeal within 15 days.