Dubai: The Dubai Court of First Instance Thursday convicted four men for stealing 30 kilograms of gold jewellery worth Dh11 million from a store in International City. They have been sentenced to jail terms of five years each.
Prosecutors said the Afghan defendants, H.A., B.M., Z.K. and M.A., used a hammer, crane, iron scissors, screwdrivers, and iron tools to demolish the wall of a jewellery store, broke open the shop's safe, and stole the gold.
Pronouncing the verdict, Presiding Judge Hamad Abdul Latif Abdul Jawad also jailed a 32-year-old Australian, S.H., and a 37-year-old Afghan, O.M., for three years each on charges of keeping the stolen gold in their possession. All the accused will be deported upon completion of their jail terms.
According to court records, H.A., B.M., Z.K., and M.A. demolished the wall shared between the jewellery store and an adjacent shop they had rented. The jewellery store's Indian supervisor testified that the heist had taken place between the store's closing hours (10pm-9:30am).
An Emirati policeman said H.A. was arrested first. "During questioning, H.A. admitted that he along with B.M., Z.K., M.A. went to the jewellery store in a taxi. H.A. alleged that they switched off the surveillance cameras. One hour later, S.H. met them and took possession of the bag that contained the gold," the policeman said.
However, S.H. denied these charges in court, claiming instead that the police had tortured him, thereby coercing him to admit to the crime.
Meanwhile, H.A., B.M. and Z.K. pleaded guilty to the crime, but claimed that M.A. was not involved in the heist. M.A. pleaded not guilty.
Yesterday's judgment remains subject to appeal within 15 days.
