Dubai: A Dubai cleaner has been accused of stealing 86 expensive watches worth Dh8.4 million from three shops at the Gold Market, the Dubai Court of First Instance heard on Wednesday.
According to official records, the 26-year-old Indian defendant kept stealing the watches by throwing them in the bin and later collecting them when he took the garbage outside.
On December 2019, a salesman in a shop found a Dh30,000 watch inside a white box in the garbage bin. He delivered it to the 51-year-old Iraqi owner who thought someone had accidently thrown the watch.
“At first, I didn’t take the matter seriously but another salesman spoke to my partner who checked surveillance cameras. Footage showed the defendant stealing the watch, putting it in the box and throwing it in the bin,” the Iraqi businessman said in court records.
The defendant admitted the theft to the Iraqi man but denied stealing more watches.
“He claimed that he needed the money and only stole one watch, but we doubted that and decided to make inventory.”
The defendant confessed that he stole two watches in the past worth Dh520,000 and sold them to a Pakistani man for Dh20,000,
“He used to meet the Pakistani man in a café and sell watches at a cheap price. He told me that the Pakistani man knew it was stolen and he used the defendant to obtain watches at cheap prices,” the Iraqi man added.
According to Dubai Public Prosecution, the defendant stole 86 watches worth Dh8.4 million.
Two Pakistani defendants aged 25 and 44, who are still at large, were charged with possessing stolen goods.
The Indian defendants admitted to theft. A verdict is expected on February 26.
