Salesman jailed for stealing 22 smart phones from work

Dubai: A salesman at an electronics store has been jailed for a year for stealing 22 smart phones and smuggling them out of the store by tying them to his leg under his trousers.

An Indian vendor spotted the 40-year-old Ugandan salesman taking an earpiece from its box, hiding it in his pocket and leaving the storehouse during an inventory in December 2015.

On a different occasion, another Indian vendor saw the Ugandan repeating what he had done earlier.

The Indians informed their boss about what they had seen before surveillance cameras exposed the 40-year-old salesman acting strangely in the storehouse.

Further inspection of the CCTV footages showed the Ugandan removing new smart phones from their boxes, tying them to his leg under his trousers and taking them out.

During an internal investigation by the company, the Ugandan admitted that he had stolen around 22 smart phones between November and December 2015.

The Dubai Court of First Instance convicted the defendant of stealing iPhone and Samsung smart phones worth Dh61,000.

The presiding judge said the accused, who was sentenced in absentia, will be deported following the completion of his punishment.

The store’s Filipino manager testified that the accused was responsible for tagging, pricing and stacking newly arrived devices at the storehouse.

“After he was spotted by two colleagues, the defendant was called in for an investigation at the management’s office. He admitted that he had stolen 22 phones and signed a written confession,” the manager said.