Dubai residents share tips to secure homes after villa killings

Dubai: A day after reports of an Indian couple murdered in their Arabian Ranches home came to light, villa residents urged prudence and offered tips on keeping homes safe from intruders.

On Tuesday, Dubai Police confirmed that an Indian couple - Hiren Adhiya and Vidhi Adhiya - were murdered in their villa after a Pakistani man broke in and repeatedly stabbed them. The motive behind the attack is said to have been robbery. The man was later arrested by the police.

While robberies and attempted break-ins in gated villa communities are not common in Dubai thanks to 24-hour security, some UAE expatriates, who have been victims of attempted break-ins in the past, said one should their bit to secure their homes.

Ukrainian expatriate Maria Nikiforova, 32, who lives in Jumeirah Park, said she never leaves her doors, especially the kitchen door, open. She also does not keep any valuables in the house. She said: “I used to leave valuable [things] around the house. But that has changed. I make sure no valuable is around as I know it attracts unwanted attention.”

Nikiforova said one can never come to terms with a break-in.

“It is not a nice feeling when you find out there has been an intrusion in your house. It is scary. Every morning when you wake up, you are scared to come down the house, thinking someone could be lurking around somewhere,” she said, adding that it is better to be safe than sorry.

Italian expatriate Elena Ferraiulo, who lives in Meadows 2, also said she ensures that all her doors and windows are secured and locked before she hits the bed every night. “Trust me, it is a tedious task checking all your windows and doors every night. But when you think about your life, you don’t mind doing that.”

Indian expatriate Asad Haque, who also lives in the same area, said he had installed CCTV cameras to make sure no one could get away with an intrusion.

Haque, who lives in a five-bedroom villa in the Meadows, said: “We have installed eight CCTV cameras in and around the villa. We have also installed sound and motion sensors. Not just that, we have fenced our walls around the villa and put a special mesh that makes it difficult for intruders to jump into the villa from the garden area.”

The expats said the location of a villa matters as those that are on the fringes or in the open are potentially more vulnerable.  “So these villa occupants should do more to secure their homes,” said Nikiforova.

Tips to secure your home

1. Lock your doors and windows. Locksmiths can provide advice on appropriate door and window locks. Add additional locks in keeping with your community rules.

2. Install movement sensor lights and report broken street lights to your community management.

3. Follow community guidelines and fit a grille or a spiked fence on the perimeter walls of your home.

4. Monitor all potential targets. Garages and garden sheds can be targets for burglars. A light with an automatic sensor in these areas can be helpful.

5. Don’t keep your keys in the open. They can be easily duplicated.

6. Store all valuables in a safe.