Dubai: Three jobless men have been cleared of breaking into a supermarket and stealing a safe containing Dh200,000 in cash and valuables.
The supermarket’s Indian manager was said to have been informed by one of his staff that when the latter went to open the place at 6am, it was discovered that someone had entered the place by force and stole the safe in February.
After alerting the police, primary interrogations and onsite inspections revealed the purported involvement of three Pakistani men, aged between 29 and 32, and other men, who remain at large, in the heist.
The supposed culprits had armed themselves with an iron saw and screwdriver, broke into the supermarket and stole the safe, said records.
The safe contained Dh124,000 cash, 100 phones worth Dh50,000 and Dh26,000 worth of prepaid phone cards in addition to 12 passports that belongs to the supermarket’s staff.
Citing lack of strong evidence, the Dubai Court of First Instance acquitted the trio of involvement in the heist.
The men pleaded innocent in court.
Prosecutors have already appealed the primary ruling and a hearing will be scheduled before the Appeal Court soon.
The shop’s manager testified to prosecutors that he alerted the police about the heist once his staff informed him at 6am.
A police lieutenant said to prosecutors that the suspects were apprehended in a sting operation in Hor Al Anz area.
“During questioning, the suspects claimed that the two fugitives and them [suspects] went to Al Qoz area … they used the saw to cut the locks and enter the supermarket at 3am. They also admitted that they broke the display shelves and stole phones, prepaid cards and cash and passports. They also claimed that they broke the safe with a hammer and opened it then split the stolen items between them … then they threw the passports in a garbage bin,” he testified to prosecutors.
