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

Dubai - The cook confessed when he was confronted with the fingerprints.

A cook has gone on trial at a Dubai court for stealing watches worth Dh620,000 from his Emirati sponsor, a footballer.

The Court of First Instance was told the 36-year-old Asian cook also stole Dh30,000 worth of other valuables.

The incident took place on May 19 and was reported at Bur Dubai police station.

The footballer, 29, said that the defendant worked for him as a cook. "He also washed and ironed my clothes and arranged them in the closet. On the incident day, I could not find two 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 is the only one to enter my bedroom."

The footballer advised his cook to return the stolen valuables before he reported the incident to the police. "He asked for some time to give them back. I was told by the police that fingerprints lifted from the safe matched with the cook's," the footballer told the prosecutor.

A police corporal, who interrogated the cook, told the public prosecution investigator that the defendant initially denied the accusations. "At first, he denied claiming he is a cook and he did not enter his sponsor's bedroom. However, he confessed later when confronted about his matching fingerprints."

During the prosecution investigation, the cook admitted he disposed of the safe in the garbage bin next to the house after he failed to open it.

The technical evidence report showed that the fingerprints picked up from the safe matched with the cook's.

A ruling will be out on August 24.

mary@khaleejtimes.com

• Dubai