Trio loses appeal in Dh1.5m Dubai villa burglary

Dubai - The trio are believed to have taken advantage of the villa's occupants being out of the country.

Three members of a gang have each had their three-year jail sentence upheld by the Court of Appeals for breaking into a villa and robbing jewellery worth Dh 1.5 million. The robbery happened in July 2015.
The trio, an American and two Colombians, are believed to have taken advantage of the villa's occupants being out of the country, to enter and burgle diamond gold jewellery, and other valuables.
A fourth defendant, a Mexican, had his acquittal verdict - given by the Court of First Instance last October - upheld.
A police captain said that they were able track the rental cars used by the thieves, and also find the building where the thieves resided, in Al Nahda, Sharjah.
On July 8, 2015, the three were arrested. The Mexican was also arrested as he was about to flee the country through the Al Hili exit point the next day. All four admitted to the charges, and the jewellery was recovered from their place.
All of the three convicted will be deported after completing their prison sentences. They have been charged with forcible robbery, damaging property (locks inside the villa), and trespassing. The Mexican defendant was accused of using a forged passport, intentionally driving his car into the police patrol car, and putting the police captain's life at risk.
The complainant and villa's occupant, a 63-year-old Indian national, said during the public prosecution investigation that he went on a visit to his country on July 1 last year, and returned a week later.
He found that the Jumeirah villa's main and kitchen doors' locks were broken, the bedroom was all in a mess, and the safe where he kept his valuables also broken into. "All of my wife's jewellery was missing and so were my watches. The police officers came shortly after my call to inspect the place."
The police called the Indian manager two days later, asking him to go to the Criminal Investigation Department, where the retrieved jewellery was shown to him.
mary@khaleejtimes.com

• Dubai