Five men stole jewellery valued at more than Dh1m from a shop in Dubai International City, Dubai Criminal Court was told on Tuesday.
On July 12, the masked men allegedly entered the shop armed with knives and sprayed the shop workers with pepper spray before locking them all up in the shop's toilet and stealing the jewellery.
Four of the Afghani men, aged between 25 and 35, were charged with armed robbery which they denied in court. The fifth man remains at large.
Investigations led police to the first three defendants, an Emirati first lieutenant said.
"The following day, we obtained arrest warrants and raided their flats in Al Ain," said 21-year-old officer said.
Police seized the stolen valuables found in the possession of the four men but the rest of the jewellery remains with the fifth member of the gang who remains at large,
During police questioning, the accused allegedly admitted to planning the heist a week before.
The men would meet in International City and after deciding which shop to steal from they bought masks, pepper spray and knives, the officer said.
"Three of them said the 25-year-old second defendant was the master mind and distributed the roles among them," the officer said.
The defendants said they waited for employees to arrive on the morning of the robbery before four of the members raided the shop and the fifth acted as a look out.
"They fled in a silver Lexus and headed to Jebel Ali where they split the valuables and got rid of the clothes, masks, and all the other tools they used, after which three of them went to Al Ain where they were arrested the following day," said the policeman.
The next hearing will be held on October 17.
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Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
The biog
Born: Kuwait in 1986
Family: She is the youngest of seven siblings
Time in the UAE: 10 years
Hobbies: audiobooks and fitness: she works out every day, enjoying kickboxing and basketball
THE SPECS
Engine: 3.5-litre supercharged V6
Power: 416hp at 7,000rpm
Torque: 410Nm at 3,500rpm
Transmission: 6-speed manual
Fuel consumption: 10.2 l/100km
Price: Dh375,000
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Some of Darwish's last words
"They see their tomorrows slipping out of their reach. And though it seems to them that everything outside this reality is heaven, yet they do not want to go to that heaven. They stay, because they are afflicted with hope." - Mahmoud Darwish, to attendees of the Palestine Festival of Literature, 2008
His life in brief: Born in a village near Galilee, he lived in exile for most of his life and started writing poetry after high school. He was arrested several times by Israel for what were deemed to be inciteful poems. Most of his work focused on the love and yearning for his homeland, and he was regarded the Palestinian poet of resistance. Over the course of his life, he published more than 30 poetry collections and books of prose, with his work translated into more than 20 languages. Many of his poems were set to music by Arab composers, most significantly Marcel Khalife. Darwish died on August 9, 2008 after undergoing heart surgery in the United States. He was later buried in Ramallah where a shrine was erected in his honour.
If you go...
Flying
There is no simple way to get to Punta Arenas from the UAE, with flights from Dubai and Abu Dhabi requiring at least two connections to reach this part of Patagonia. Flights start from about Dh6,250.
Touring
Chile Nativo offers the amended Los Dientes trek with expert guides and porters who are met in Puerto Williams on Isla Navarino. The trip starts and ends in Punta Arenas and lasts for six days in total. Prices start from Dh8,795.
Brief scores:
Toss: Australia, chose to bat
Australia: 272-9 (50 ov)
Khawaja 100, Handscomb 52; Bhuvneshwar 3-48
India: 237 (50 ov)
Rohit 56, Bhuvneshwar 46; Zampa 3-46
Player of the Match: Usman Khawaja (Australia)
Player of the Series: Usman Khawaja (Australia)
Women%E2%80%99s%20Asia%20Cup
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Director: James Cameron
Starring: Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, Zoe Saldana
Rating: 4.5/5
Roger Federer's 2018 record
Australian Open Champion
Rotterdam Champion
Indian Wells Runner-up
Miami Second round
Stuttgart Champion
Halle Runner-up
Wimbledon Quarter-finals
Cincinnati Runner-up
US Open Fourth round
Shanghai Semi-finals
Basel Champion
Paris Masters Semi-finals
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Zayed Sustainability Prize
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet