2-year jail for duo in Dh1M villa heist

dubai — Two Chinese visitors have each been sentenced to two years in jail for robbing Dh800,000 worth of gold and diamond jewellery and Dh200,000 in cash from a villa.

Public prosecution records showed the two men aged 31 and 25, climbed the wall of the villa in Al Warqa, while the residents were away, and made away with the stolen pieces on September 15.

The Court of First Instance acquitted them, however, of the charge of physically assaulting two police officers and resisting being taken into custody. The court also cleared a third accused, 36, of possessing the stolen valuables.

The court ordered that the convicts be deported after serving their jail terms.

“I left the villa at 11am on September 14 and took my family and our two housemaids to attend a wedding ceremony. We returned at 3am only to discover that my bedroom’s door was forcibly opened and the safe too,” said the Emirati villa owner. He said the jewellery was worth more than Dh800,000 and added that Dh200,000 in cash was missing too, from the safe. He pointed out that there could be more items that had been stolen.

A police lieutenant said they arrested the trio after being tippedoff by a reliable source about their involvement in a series of similar robberies. “We nabbed two of the accused at International City on September 25. They assaulted our police officers who were executing an arrest order against them. The accused admitted at the general directorate of criminal investigation they had rented a car and targeted the villa after realising the family was away,” the lieutenant said.

The court ruling may be appealed within 15 days.

mary@khaleejtimes.com