5 accused of posing as policemen to steal from Dubai apartment

The tenants of a Discovery Gardens apartment say thousands of dirhams and several smartphones were stolen after they were tied up and locked in the bathroom.

DUBAI // Five men pretended to be policemen to gain entry to a flat, where they tied up the tenants, locked them in the bathroom and burgled the apartment, a court has been told.

The two Bangladeshis, two Iranians and one Emirati – aged between 22 and 49 – have denied impersonation, confinement and theft.

On June 28 about 6pm, the men gained access to the flat in Discovery Gardens after posing as police officers, Dubai Criminal Court was told.

“One of them pushed the door violently when I opened up so I fell to the ground, after which he slapped me and asked for my ID,” said the Bangladeshi tenant, 30.

He said his flatmate came out from the kitchen after hearing the noise, and both were tied up with plastic straps then locked in the bathroom.

“We could hear them moving around at the apartment for about half an hour, then we heard no sound,” said the Bangladeshi cook, adding that his Indian flatmate, a salesman, untied himself and then freed him.

When they made it out of the bathroom they found their apartment drenched in water and in a mess.

“I found out that the men stole my four smartphones and Dh6,500 in cash from my wallet,” said the cook. The salesman said that the intruders stole his smartphone and Dh600 from his wallet.

A police officer said two of the defendants were identified through security camera footage and that they led police to their accomplices.

Prosecutors said that the men confessed to charges during interrogations.

The next hearing is scheduled for November 17.