A worker and his brother have been jailed for one year each for breaking a safe at the former’s workplace and stealing Dh379,000.
The theft was discovered by a Filipina cleaner. She immediately alerted her Syrian manager who reported the matter to the police.
The 36-year-old Bangladeshi worker walked into his workplace after 9 pm, broke open a safe and stole Dh379,000 in different currencies. He then went to hide at the house of his 46-year-old brother in May, reported Gulf News.
The Dubai Court of First Instance convicted the 36-year-old man of theft and his 46-year-old brother for aiding and abetting him, the report said.
According to the ruling, the defendants will be deported after serving their jail terms.
Police reportedly identified the 36-year-old defendant, who was revealed on the company’s surveillance camera entering the premises empty-handed at 9 pm and walking out carrying a bag at 2 am.
The younger brother pleaded guilty but his elder brother pleaded not guilty, said the news portal.
The 36-year-old reportedly abused the fact that he had a copy of the company’s keys and sneaked inside at night, opened the safe with a crowbar and a screwdriver and stole the cash.
“I stole the cash but it was Dh100,000 only and not as mentioned in the papers,” the 36-year-old accused told the court earlier.
The 46-year-old contended that he did not know that the money was stolen.
The company’s Syrian manager testified that the Filipina cleaner informed him at 7:30 am that she saw the safe broken, the report said.
“She told me the company’s offices had been turned upside down and someone had stolen cash from the safe that she found open. I rushed to the premises and discovered that someone had used hard tools to break the safe and steal the cash. The culprit took four envelopes that contained cash … then we informed the police,” he was quoted as saying by Gulf News.
A police lieutenant reportedly said the theft happened in the company’s warehouse in Al Khubaisi area.
“M.N. was spotted on CCTV walking into the company at 9 pm and he walked out at 2 am … he was shown carrying something in his hands. Primary interrogations revealed that the two suspects were involved in the theft. They were arrested in Al Ain three weeks after the incident. We seized from M.E. part of the stolen cash and a money transfer receipt for Dh93,000 that had been wired to Bangladesh. M.N. claimed during questioning that following the theft he went by taxi to Al Ain where he met his brother who kept a portion of the money with him,” the lieutenant reportedly testified.
The primary ruling remains subject to appeal within 15 days, the report said.
