Man stole Dh20,000 raised by mum to pay for baby's medical care, Dubai court hears

Hospital worker allegedly caught on camera snatching bag of money

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A mum raised Dh20,000 to pay for vital health care for her newborn baby only for the cash to be stolen from a hospital, Dubai Criminal Court heard.

The Nigerian woman, 26, called on the support of family and friends to scramble together the funds needed to pay medical bills for her child, who was born prematurely and was to be placed in intensive care.

Her brother in-law delivered the money in a bag and left it on a table in the private hospital in Al Rafaa on October 18 of last year.

He raised the alarm with a security guard when he discovered the bag had been taken.

The guard then viewed CCTV footage which showed a hospital worker snatching the cash.

“We found the (empty) bag tossed in a trash bin in one of the toilets,” said the guard.

Police were alerted and arrested the accused, a 31-year-old Filipino man, the following day.

They found only Dh2,000 of the money was still in his possession.

He denied a theft charge at a hearing on Wednesday.

The case was adjourned until January 15.