DUBAI // A man who was cleared of taking part in the theft of electrical cables from buildings in Discovery Gardens will now spend a year in jail after prosecutors won an appeal against his acquittal.
On August 22, Dubai Criminal Court found the 30-year-old Pakistani not guilty of theft.
The court was told the man, along with others who remain at large, stole cables from 35 buildings in January 2015.
The incident came to light when several buildings lost power.
“I was contacted by the maintenance section and informed of the problem. When we checked we found the main cables had been stolen,” said a 26-year-old Pakistani security guard.
Police were notified about the thefts and the defendant was arrested.
“He was found to be involved in several other similar incidents to which he confessed, and we found a cutter in his possession,” said a police corporal.
The man told investigators the locations of several other buildings he and the other men had stolen cables from.
It was not clear in court records why the other men involved in the thefts were not apprehended.
The defendant will be deported after serving his jail term.
salamir@thenational.ae
