Expat jailed for stealing Dh38K watch

DUBAI — A Dubai expat has been sentenced to six months in jail by a court after he was found guilty of stealing a Dh38,000 watch from a Chinese student. The convict used an Emirati man’s ID to commit the theft.

The Court of First Instance was earlier told the 28-year-old Palestinian man contacted the victim after seeing an ad the latter had posted online, offering his watch for sale.

The accused showed the student an ID that was not his own to steal the watch, according to public prosecution records.

He was convicted of the charges of wrongful use of others’ ID, making benefit from that use, and theft by impersonation. He was ordered to be deported upon completion of his jail term. He has appealed his conviction order. The incident took place in May and was reported to the Bur Dubai police station.

The student, 28, said he had purchased a watch from the duty free shop of the Dubai International Airport. There was a big demand for the watch, he said. “I posted an ad online, putting it up for sale for Dh38,000. A man called me, pretending to be an Emirati and expressing desire to buy the watch at the price I wanted.”

The student then sent him a photo of the watch and received an ID copy from the man on WhatsApp.

“We met in the parking lot of a shopping centre. I got into his car and he claimed he could not find a parking spot and wanted to give the car for valet parking,” the student told the prosecutor.

The student added that the defendant told him he wanted to get the watch checked at a shop in the mall before purchasing it. “However, he waited for me to get out of the car and drove off. Documents, including the purchase receipt, were still with me,” the complainant said.

The student went back to his place in Abu Dhabi, where his accommodation supervisor advised him to call the police. The defendant has a criminal record of theft with the same method.

A copy of the ID, sent by the defendant to the victim on WhatsApp, was enclosed to the case file.

However, he waited for me to get out of the car and drove off. Documents, including the purchase receipt, were still with me.”

Complainant