DUBAI // An Uzbek businesswoman robbed two friends after using a knife to force open their apartment door in the Al Mankhoul area, the Dubai Criminal Court heard on Sunday.
“I stole the items, but I didn’t force open the door,” O E, 31, told the court. “I used a key to the house that I had.”
Prosecutors said that on October 1, O E told her friends, Y K, 42, also an Uzbek, and R S, 24, a Russian, that she was flying to Qatar.
“She left in her BMW and said she was heading to Abu Dhabi airport to fly to Qatar. Shortly after she left we got out of the flat,” said Y K in her testimony.
It was nearly 1am when the two returned home to find their door open and a knife in the lock.
“I am sure I locked the door, but when I saw the knife I got worried,” said Y K. “So I checked the rooms and found money, clothes, jewellery, make-up and perfume as well as other items gone.”
She also found the lights on despite making sure to turn them off before she and her flatmate left for the evening.
R S said she found her suitcase on the bed opened and emptied. “I checked the wardrobe and drawers and found that most of my stuff was gone.”
The women asked a guard to check the security cameras. The footage showed the defendant as she parked her car at the building entrance, despite having a key to the car park.
“She got out of her car and used the staircase instead of the lift. When she came back to her car, she was carrying a lot of stuff so we suspected she had robbed us,” R S said.
Emirati policeman A A, 35, said the defendant was arrested shortly after a report was filed.
“She denied stealing anything at first but then confessed willingly and said she lied to her victims, saying she was flying that night then returned knowing the two women would not be in the flat,” said the officer. He said cash was also stolen.
“I returned the stolen items to them,” O E told the judge. “I don’t want to remain in jail,”
The next hearing will be on January 1.
salamir@thenational.ae
