Seven jailed for armoured truck heist

THREE DRIVERS STOLE THE CASH AND FOUR OTHERS PROVIDED LOGISTICAL SUPPORT

Legal and Court Correspondent

Three drivers of a money transfer company and four others who had conspired with them to steal Dh14 million from an armoured truck, lost their appeal and will be jailed three years each.

The company’s security manager was alerted by two Nepalese guards after they lost contact with the armoured truck’s Pakistani driver, who had dropped them outside Al Ghurair Centre to fill cash at an ATM machine, in August 2017.

The manager headed to the location and asked the guards to search for the truck and continue calling the driver’s mobile phone, which was still ringing.

When the manager and the guards found the armoured truck parked nearby, they informed the police. The Pakistani driver, 37, was missing.

Investigations revealed the driver had moved from his seat to the rear area of the truck [where the money was kept] and disconnected the wires of the surveillance cameras.

CCTV footage showed that the driver and two other countrymen drivers, 30 and 39, carried four bags of money to a car and drove away. They abandoned the car in a poorly-lit area and fled in a taxi.

The Pakistani trio were arrested in Sharjah and four other Pakistani men were also apprehended for providing logistical support. The 37-year-old and 30-year-old pleaded guilty, while the other defendants pleaded not guilty.

In June, the Dubai Court of First Instance jailed the seven defendants to three years each.

Prosecutors appealed the judgement before the Appeal Court and sought a stiffer punishment. The seven accused also appealed their punishments, seeking lenient sentences.

At the Appeal Court, presiding judge Eisa Al Sharif dismissed the appeals and upheld the three-year imprisonments for the accused. They will be deported after their sentences.

The defendants were tasked with transferring money bags from banks and commercial establishments on August 24 and 25, 2017.

The 37-year-old accused admitted to prosecutors that they stole the money and the other four defendants were supposed to help them transfer it to Pakistan.

The ruling remains subject to appeal before the Cassation Court.