An electronics shop worker stole 22 smartphones worth more than Dh60,000, a court heard on Thursday.
The Ugandan defendant, 40, was not present at Dubai Criminal Court to face a theft charge.
Prosecutors said that the thefts happened on several occasions between November and December 2015 but were only discovered later by staff at the Ibn Battuta Mall store.
“He was responsible for receiving shipments to the store and distributing them to salesmen after installing the anti-theft magnetics on the phones' boxes,” said an Indian salesman, 21.
He added that in January last year he and another colleague spotted the defendant hiding a small box in his pocket, so they told their line manager.
The manager checked CCTV footage from that day and previous days and noticed the defendant suspiciously moving to and from the room where the devices are stored.
“He was called in for an internal investigation at the company’s headquarters in Al Garhoud, where he denied any wrongdoing but, shortly after, he admitted stealing Samsung and iPhones,” said the store manager, adding that the accused signed a written confession following the investigation stating that he only stole nine devices, even though the number of missing devices stood at 22, with a total value of Dh60,944.
The court will issue a verdict on July 27.