Dubai: A cleaner has been accused of stealing a female employee’s valuable watch that she forgot in the washroom at Dubai Judicial Institute.
The 25-year-old Bangladeshi cleaner, A.J., was said to be cleaning the washroom when she found the Emirati employee’s wristwatch worth Dh30,000 and took it away in May.
Prosecutors accused the suspect of theft.
The defendant entered a guilty plea when she showed up before the Dubai Court of First Instance on Sunday.
“Yes, I stole the watch when I found it in the washroom,” A.J. told presiding judge Fahd Al Shamsi.
When asked what she requested from the court, the defendant replied: “I just want mercy and a swift judgement.”
According to the charge sheet, prosecutors accused the cleaner of abusing the fact that she was alone inside the washroom when she found the watch and stole it.
The Emirati testified before prosecutors that the realised her watch was missing after she finished praying.
“It was noon when I went to the washroom to perform ablutions before the midday prayer. I removed my silver watch and kept it aside while I performed the ablutions. Then I rushed to pray but I forgot the watch. I remembered later that I had forgotten the watch behind and went to retrieve it around 3.15pm. I did not find it. The next day when I saw the defendant, I asked her if she had seen a watch at the sink … she asked me if it was a silver diamond-plated watch. When I asked her how she knew, she alleged that she has experience in such valuable watches. I suspected that she had stolen it and reported the matter to the police,” claimed the employee.
Prosecution records said the cleaner confessed that she had stolen the watch.
The Bangladeshi was taken into custody, where she remains, until a judgement is handed out on August 9.
