UAE court upholds sentence against gang members who robbed Dh300,000 from Dubai merchant

Dubai: Dubai Court of Appeals has upheld a two-year prison sentence for five men who robbed Dh300,000 from a bank customer.

Dubai Court of First Instance had initially sentenced the five defendants to two years in jail to be followed by deportation and a Dh300,000 fine. The Court of Appeals upheld the verdict.

According to records, in February last year, four men were waiting for a merchant outside a bank in Al Quoz area of Dubai after the merchant encashed a cheque for Dh300,000. The victim said that as he sat in his car, another vehicle blocked his way from behind and one of the defendants attacked him and tried to snatch the money from him.

“He held me by my neck and ripped off my shirt. A second man waved his knife at me and aimed to stab me,” said the victim on record. The men then snatched the cash from the victim and fled the scene.

A witness called Dubai Police.

Caught on camera 

Surveillance cameras in the area identified the suspects and their car. The car, which belonged to a car rental company, was later found in a deserted area. “Cameras identified the suspects. One of them was arrested in Abu Dhabi,” said a policeman on record. The rest of the gang members were later arrested, including a fifth suspect who was monitoring the crime scene. Police recovered Dh50,000 in cash from the defendants.

Fingerprints and DNA tests confirmed the involvement of the defendants in the robbery. The defendants admitted that they used to monitor bank customers for robberies.