Dubai: A lifeguard has been jailed for six months for stealing 64 passports and important documents from a sport facilities company, where he was employed, and trying to sell them back.
The 25-year-old Ugandan, M.S., trespassed into the company’s premises in Al Muraqqabat and stole his 64 co-workers’ passports, a laptop, Dh900 in cash, a cheque, a credit card and other important papers in December 2014.
The Dubai Court of First Instance convicted M.S. of theft despite his having entered a not guilty plea.
“The accused will be deported after serving his punishment. The phone that was seized at the defendant’s residence will be confiscated,” said presiding judge Ezzat Abdul Lat in court on Monday.
The company’s Filipina operations manager said she discovered the robbery when she went to open the doors of the company office.
“On that day I went to the company with my sister. When we reached the place, the doors were already open. Many papers were scattered on desks and on the floor. The safe was also missing. The safe contained 64 passports that belonged to the staff … I informed police immediately,” she claimed.
A police lieutenant testified that the operation manager informed them that she received several messages from a strange number asking her to pay money in case she wanted to get the stolen documents and papers.
“A special police team was formed to look into the case. Preliminary interrogations revealed M.S. had been sending the messages. He was arrested in a sting operation,” said the lieutenant.
The defendant was cited admitting to prosecutors and police interrogators that he stole the passports and important papers from the company.
According to records, police seized the stolen passports, documents and cash from the safe that were in the defendant’s possession.
Police seized a piece of paper on which the number that M.S. had allegedly used to send the SMS was written.
Monday’s ruling remains subject to appeal within 15 days.
