Gold factory worker accused of stealing filings from factory

He used paste to collect the shavings and took nearly 144 grams, prosecutors say.

DUBAI // A man confessed this morning to using a special paste to steal gold filings from Tiba gold factory where he worked, a Dubai court heard.

The 30-year-old Indian defendant AA told investigators that when he was in India in January, one of his friends, who works as a goldsmith, advised him to use paste to collect filings of gold from the re-shining process.

He purchased the paste and said that since his return from India on February 15, he had put the paste on the palm of his hand, then rested it on the table to gather the filings.

The gold stuck to the paste, which he would roll into balls and hide in his clothes, records show. He said the paste was invisible to the metal detecting devices at the factory.

Prosecutors said he stole 143.6 grams of filings worth Dh19,740.

AB, 46, the Saudi businessman who owns the factory, testified that on February 26, the shift supervisor called him to say he had noticed AA rolling the paste and hiding it.

AB asked AA about the incident, and he confessed, he testified.

A verdict is expected on May 30.