Five sent to jail for stabbing vendor and grocery theft

Defendants stormed into store and assaulted man before stealing Dh11,000 worth of items

Five workers have been jailed for assaulting a grocery store vendor with a knife while they were stealing Dh11,000 worth of cash and products.

The incident occurred on a Friday morning in August 2016, when the Indian vendor opened the grocery store in Al Mezher. Three Pakistani men walked into the grocery, purchased beverages and left, but then returned to the store after a while.

The defendants assaulted the vendor before they stole Dh6,500 in cash, du recharge cards and two mobile phones.

As the vendor tried to call for help, the assailants beat him and stabbed him in the hand. He then called the police, which shortly arrested the three Pakistanis and their two countrymen.

Records showed that the culprits had previously committed

As the vendor tried to call for help, the assailants beat him and stabbed him in the hand. He then called the police.

a similar crime using the same modus operandi in Al Rashidiya.

The Dubai Court of First Instance convicted the five defendants, aged between 28 and 35, of assaulting the victim with a knife and stealing money and items from the grocery.

Presiding judge Fahd Al Shamsi referred a sixth Pakistani clerk, 31, to the Dubai Misdemeanours Court where he will be tried for possessing part of the stolen items.

According to the primary judgement, the defendants will be deported. They pleaded not guilty, contending that law enforcement officers coerced them into confessing to a crime they did not commit.

The ruling remains subject to appeal.