Dubai: Gang jailed for stealing Dh675,000 from shipping company

The Dubai Criminal Court has ordered a gang of four Africans to pay a fine of Dh675,000 after they stole the same amount from a shipping company by threatening employees with a knife.

They have also been sentenced to three years in jail, followed by deportation. One of the suspects is still at large.

According to police records, the case dates back to last October, when an accountant lodged a complaint at a police station stating that he had been robbed under duress while he was on shift at the shipping company.

He told police that one of the defendants had visited the office to inquire about the cost of shipping goods to an African country. The victim gave him a list of the charges, after which the accused went to a waiting room and made a call.

Ten minutes later, three Africans entered the office, confiscated employees' mobile phones and threatened to kill them.

The accountant said one of the defendants threatened him with a knife and forced him to open the company's safe. The man seized Dh670,000, after which he and the other three defendants fled the scene.

A police officer said the CID checked the company's security cameras. They managed to identify the suspects and their location after a taxi driver found a mobile phone that belonged to one of the victims.

The driver said he dropped off the gang at a neighbouring emirate. He led officers to the location, where the gang was arrested after being set up by a trap.