Soldier jailed for street robbery

DUBAI: A soldier who mugged a driver with a screwdriver and decamped with his money has been sentenced to one year in jail to be followed by deportation.

The Arab soldier, 24, opened the car of an Indian driver, 39, and snatched his wallet. When the driver tried to pin him down he assaulted him with a screwdriver and fled with his Dhs500.

This happened at a street in Mirdif at around 8:50am on Mar.4, the driver complained to the Rashidiyah Police Station. The Dubai Criminal Court has convicted him and jailed him for one year.

In prosecution records, the driver said he parked his Nissan Altima at his manager’s house, cleaned it and switched its engine on, in preparation to transport the manager to her workplace.

“After cleaning the car I entered the house to wash my hands. On walking out I was stunned to see a man opening the car’s driver side door and snatching my wallet. He saw me and ran away with it. I ran after him trying to catch him.

“He suddenly stabbed my left arm with a screwdriver, causing me an injury. He ran. I again ran trying to catch him.

“He ran faster and climbed to the top of a house’s brick fence. He stood above it. I talked to him in broken Arabic entreating him to take money and return the wallet with all my cards it contained. He opened it, removed Dhs500, threw the wallet at me and fled. I called the police.”