Man jailed, fined Dh130,000 for stealing AC units in Dubai

Dubai: An Asian man has been sentenced to two years in prison and fined Dh130,000 by the Dubai Misdemeanors and Violations Court, after being convicted of stealing 18 air conditioning units from a villa in the Al Muhaisnah area, Al Khaleej newspaper reported. He will be deported upon completing his sentence.

The case came to light when a Gulf national filed a police report after discovering signs of forced entry at his villa, which had been previously shut down for violating rental laws for being used as shared accommodation. Upon inspection, the owner found that all rooftop AC units had been stolen.

A police officer involved in the investigation stated that forensic analysis at the scene revealed a fingerprint matching the defendant, who was already serving a sentence in a similar theft case.

During questioning, the man confessed to the crime and admitted to entering the UAE illegally.

The court found the evidence and confession sufficient for conviction and issued the sentence accordingly.