Dubai expat who never locked his villa is shocked to find drunken thief inside
63-year-old defendant charged with attempted robbery
Dubai: An engineer who felt safe in Dubai and would not lock his villa was surprised when a thief broke in after midnight.
The Libyan engineer told Dubai Court of First Instance that he was staying in his Al Garhoud villa for 10 years and has never locked his doors because he never felt the need for it.
“I was staying in the villa with my family for 10 years. I don’t lock the doors because of the high level of safety and security in Dubai,” he said in official records.
However, one morning, at 3am, he heard a voice in the living room and found a thief inside, searching for valuable items.
“He was wearing a mask. I yelled at him and he tried to escape. I chased him. He assaulted me with a screwdriver.While I tried to restrain him, my wife called the police who arrived on the scene and arrested him,” the victim said.
The victim was transferred to hospital for treatment of his serious injuries.
An officer at Dubai Police said the defendant, a 63-year-old Sudanese, was under the influence of alcohol when he was arrested.
“The defendant said that he didn’t know why he entered the villa as he was drunk. He claimed that the door was open,” the Emirati policeman said in official records.
Dubai Public Prosecution has charged the defendant with attempted robbery.
The next hearing in the case is on September 20.