Cook in Dubai steals watches worth Dh620,000 from footballer's house

Dubai - The defendant was sentenced to six months in jail.

A cook, who stole watches worth Dh620,000 from his Emirati sponsor in Dubai, was sentenced to six months in jail on Monday. 
The 36-year-old Asian cook also stole other valuables worth Dh30,000, records at the Dubai Court of First Instance show. Besides completing his jail term, he also has to pay a Dh650,000 fine before he is deported. 
The complainant, a 29-year-old footballer, said the defendant worked for him as a cook. "He also washed and ironed my clothes and arranged my place. On the day of the incident, I could not find two luxury watches worth Dh620,000. A necklace worth Dh20,000 was also missing. The items were all kept in a small safe inside my closet. He was the first suspect to come to my mind as he was the only one who entered my bedroom." 
He first asked the cook to return what he stole before he reported the incident to the police. "He asked for some time to give them back. I was told by the police that the fingerprints lifted from the safe matched those of the cook's," the footballer told the prosecutor. 
When the defendant was interrogated, he initially denied the accusations, a police corporal said. "At first, he denied claiming he was a cook and said he did not enter his sponsor's bedroom. However, he later confessed when he was confronted about his fingerprints that were detected on the safe." The cook admitted that he disposed of the safe at a nearby garbage bin. 
The court ruling can be appealed.
mary@khaleejtimes.com 
 

• Dubai