7 airport cleaners in dock over stealing

Seven Asian cleaners working for Dubai International Airport have allegedly lifted cellphones, eyeglasses and cash inadvertently left by passengers while getting off planes.

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Published: Wed 23 Jan 2013, 9:06 AM

Last updated: Fri 3 Apr 2015, 4:05 AM

The accused were referred by the Dubai Public Prosecution to the criminal court on the charge of theft. They were caught keeping whatever they found in planes docked in the airport while they were doing their routine post-landing cleanup work after passengers had disembarked.

The seven, who were all in their twenties, were apprehended after the first accused was arrested at an airport gate, when he raised the suspicion of a police officer on duty. The policeman accosted the man and found two BlackBerry cell phones in the his possession.

He was taken to the airport police station and interrogated him, upon which he said one of the phones belonged to his workmate, a co-accused, and the other phone belonged to a second workmate, also a co-accused.

The first man claimed that he was given both phones to unlock and reinstall new firmware in return for Dh100.

Both phones had been reported as stolen by passengers at the airport. The cleaners later admitted their guilt saying that while cleaning planes, they often found and kept items such as eyeglasses and money mistakenly left by passengers aboard planes.

Police searched the homes of the accused, where they recovered the stolen belongings of passengers.

news@khaleejtimes.com


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