Thief caught when he dropped loot, court hears

Man sentenced to six months in prison for trying to steal Dh61,000.

DUBAI // A man stole Dh61,000 from a pedestrian – but was caught when he dropped the money while fleeing, a Dubai court heard this morning before sentencing him to six months in prison.

NS, 31, from Ethiopia was caught on November 22, 2010, by passers-by when the victim, identified in records, as SA, started screaming that a thief had snatched his money.

SA told prosecutors NS and another man, who remains at large, attacked him when he was leaving a mobile phone shop and snatched Dh61,000 from his pocket.

He said he had received Dh197,975 on behalf of his company through Al Ansari Exchange in a transfer that day. SA said he took the money and started making payments to clients.

Prosecutors said that SA had just paid Dh130,000 to the mobile phone shop and left with the remainder in his pockets.

As he was walking towards his car, NS' accomplice grabbed his hands and NS snatched the money, records show.

While NS fled, nearby people who heard the victim's cry for help chased him.

NS, he dropped the money, then tried to pick it up, which gave his pursuers the chance to catch up and call the police.

The court said N S would be deported after serving his term.