Housemaid in the dock for helping her friend in theft

DUBAI — A maid has been charged in court with helping her friend rob her former sponsor’s jewellery by showing him the way to his villa and valuables.

The Court of First Instance heard on Wednesday the 32-yearold Filipina planned to rob her former sponsor’s jewellery as payback for what she claimed was mistreatment.

According to public prosecution records, the incident happened on March 1, when the woman and her Emirati friend, 39, went to the villa in Al Barsha and attacked the new maid there.

The duo was charged with forcible robbery, false imprisonment and making criminal threats.

The Filipina maid, 32, said the pair barged into the place. “The man tied me up and threatened to chop my head off with a sword if I screamed for help. He then took me to my room where he locked me up after stealing my mobile phone.”

The maid added: “With a knife in my room, I could untie myself and jump from the window. I told the neighbour there were thieves in the house.”

When the neighbour walked to see what was going on, he spotted the defendant carrying a safe. “The accused pretended he was the sponsor’s relative but when I said he was lying, he dropped it and rode in his car and sped off,” the new maid told the prosecutor.

A policeman said an incident of jewelry robbery and assault at a villa was reported. “We got the details of the suspects’ car. We could track them down and they were together when we arrested them the following day in Al Satwa. The pair admitted they planned to target that villa and watched it until the sponsor and his wife left around 9 am in the morning. They had already arranged for gloves, ropes and a sword.”

The police recovered the jewelry they robbed from the villa. The Emirati accused admitted during investigation his female accomplice talked him into robbing her former sponsor’s jewelry because he abused her. He agreed out of his need for money. They stole some jewellery and expensive watches but failed to take the safe.

However, the maid alleged it was him who suggested the robbery and she had to agree after he threatened to hurt her and her friends. Since she used to work there, she went directly to the gold jewellery and then led him to the safe.

The pair admitted they planned to target that villa and watched it until the sponsor and his wife left around 9 am in the morning.” Policeman’s testimony