Man stole grandmother’s jewellery valued Dh560,000, court is told

A young man stole cash and jewellery worth Dh600,000 from his grandmother, a court heard. “You stole from your own grandmother?” Judge Erfan Atteyah asked the Emirati, who had admitted to a theft charge in Dubai Criminal Court.

“A mistake, your honour. I have never done it before, nor will I do it ever again,” said the grandson, 23.

The theft happened between March 25 and April 3 this year at the woman’s home in Al Barsha. “My mother came back from travelling and found the window in her bedroom was wide open,” the man’s uncle said.

“I asked her to check her belongings and she found that Dh560,000 worth of jewellery was missing, as well as Dh40,000 in cash.”

The uncle, 37, said two safes in his mother’s room had been forced open, so he called police.

A Yemeni salesman at a jewellery shop in Al Barsha Mall in the city said that on March 27 this year, the grandson had come to his shop to sell jewellery.

“I asked him where he got it from,” the salesman said. “He claimed he bought it from a shop in Al Ain for his camel, in case the camel won a race. When his camel came fourth he decided to sell the jewellery.”

Police arrested the grandson on April 4. “He immediately admitted stealing the items, on two occasions,” an officer said.

The uncle gave the court a waiver from his mother, who wanted to drop the charges.

A verdict is expected by May 25.