Jewelry heist accused visibly angry at hearing

Sharjah - Three Pakistanis stand trial for robbing Malabar Gold and Diamonds showroom in Al Rolla

Three Pakistanis stood trial recently for robbing the Malabar Gold and Diamonds showroom in Al Rolla, Sharjah.
According to the Sharjah Prosecution sheet, the thieves stole 7kg of gold and 17 pieces of diamond jewellery worth Dh1.5 million. The three came to the UAE on visit visas, while a fourth suspect who fled the country was on a residence visa.
At the hearing, the three suspects looked visibly angry and showed signs of praying.
The crime took place on Friday, May 23 at 3.53am. When the robbers broke into the shop to steal items displayed on the counters, an alarm alerted police officers, who arrived at the scene within five minutes.
When they arrived, they found the front shutter closed and they contacted the owner, who arrived in 30 minutes and discovered that all the gold on display had been stolen.
After analysing the CCTV footage, the police managed to identify the suspect with a residence visa. He denied the charges after he was initially detained, but later informed another suspect, who was arrested in coordination with the Dubai Police.
The second suspect revealed that the gold was with a Dubai-based cargo company and would be shipped to Pakistan within hours.
The police raided the company and discovered the gold and diamonds in containers of men's clothing, which was to be loaded on a cargo flight to Pakistan.
Police arrested the third suspect, who said that the fourth one - who appeared in the footage and entered the country on a visit visa four days before the crime - had left for Pakistan a few hours after the theft.
The thieves told the police that the entire robbery took only three minutes. They added that they kept an eye on  several other gold shops in the area, and decided to steal from the shop after noticing the gold.
The UAE - which has an extradition treaty with Pakistan - has contacted Interpol to hand over the fourth suspect to be placed on trial.
The case has been adjourned to September 25.
amira@khaleejtimes.com

• Sharjah