Men get prison for tying up guard and stealing iron bars

Dubai: Four men have been jailed for three years each after a court found them guilty of blindfolding a guard, tying him up and stealing iron bars from a worksite.

The Dubai Court of First Instance jailed the men, aged between 25 and 37, to three years for confining the 48-year-old Bangladeshi guard and stealing Dh28,000 worth of iron bars.

"The four accused will be deported after serving their punishments," said Presiding Judge Hamad Abdul Latif Abdul Jawad upon pronouncing yesterday's judgment.

Prosecutors accused the Pakistani defendants of confining the guard and tying him up then stealing 14 tonnes of iron bars. The court also fined an Indian worker Dh5,000 for possessing the bars. The worker alleged he wasn't aware the bars were stolen.

One of the defendants, a 25-year-old shepherd, pleaded not guilty when he appeared in court.

"I did not commit this crime. Six days prior to the incident, I was in a police lock-up," said 25-year-old A.A.

According to the arraignment sheet, prosecutors said the defendants locked up 48-year-old A.S. in a side room. The victim testified the incident happened on a Friday morning.

"My colleague said he spotted ten persons loading the bars onto a pick-up truck. I rushed to the worksite… they used a special winch to load the bars. Then snatched away my phone when I called the supervisor to inform him. Then they tied and blindfolded me and locked me up in a room."