Four workers were caught on camera stealing thousands of dirhams worth of furniture from their labour accommodation, a court heard.
The men were allegedly recorded loading the goods into a pickup truck by a colleague on his way to work in Jebel Ali, Dubai.
Dubai Criminal Court was told the footage was then passed on to a supervisor at the construction company, who confronted the men.
The incident is said to have occurred on June 27 of last year.
“I made a recording of them because what they were doing looked suspicious to me then I showed the clip to the supervisor,” said the Pakistani witness.
Police were informed and the four men were arrested.
They are accused of stealing a wide variety of items, including beds, mattresses, wardrobes, chairs, dining tables and TV sets.
The defendants, two from Nepal aged 34 and 47, an Indian security guard, 55 and a Bangladeshi worker, 36, all denied a charge of theft in court.
A verdict is due to be issued when the case is next in court on February 28.