Men must see out jail term for Dh1.37m phone theft, Dubai court rules

DUBAI // Two men serving six months in jail for helping to steal smartphones and electronic devices valued at more than Dh1 million must see out their prison sentences, the Court of Appeal has ruled.

Dubai Criminal Court heard at an earlier hearing that S M, 23, and B Z, 22, both unemployed and from Afghanistan, were part of a gang of more than six men who used bolt cutters and screwdrivers to break into an electronics company on April 17 last year. They made off with 1,977 phones and other devices with a combined value of Dh1.37 million.

“At nearly 4am I received a call from police informing me that some men had broken into my company and robbed devices such as Samsung, HTC and Apple,” said Indian R H, 39.

Officers checked surveillance cameras and found footage of the gang and a getaway car.

Police officer A S, 48, said he spotted the car soon after receiving the robbery report.

“I ordered the driver to stop but he did not and we had to chase him, during which he crashed into four cars then stopped. The driver as well as another man ran out and we could not arrest them,” the policeman said.

S M was later arrested at his home in Ras Al Khaimah. B Z was arrested in Naif in Dubai. The rest of the gang remains at large.

The two men will be deported after serving their sentences.

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