Handbag thieves in court after robbing women in Dubai

Dubai - The officer said that some of the women sustained minor injuries as they were assaulted trying to resist the suspects' theft bids.

Three Nigerian men faced trial at the Dubai Court of First Instance on Tuesday for allegedly robbing women by snatching their handbags in various parts of the city. 
According to records, a police officer testified to prosecutors that Al Murqabbat Police Station received a battery of 10 complaints from women of different nationalities against African men robbing them of their handbags on different occasions in Al Mamzar, Hor Al Anz, Al Baraha and Al Wehaida.
The officer said that some of the women sustained minor injuries as they were assaulted trying to resist the suspects' theft bids.
An Indian visitor filed a complaint stating that a man accosted her while she was getting out of Hamriya Central Market, pounced on her handbag and hit her on her shoulder when she tried to fend him off. 
"He grabbed my bag and ran away. I called the police. A while later, I received a call from the police station asking me to visit and that's where I was finally able to retrieve my belongings," the 49-year-old Indian victim had told the prosecutors. The bag contained gold items and Dh3,000.
In another complaint, a 43-year-old Filipina said she was standing at a bus stop in Hor Al Anz when an African man suddenly yelled at her and tried to pull away a mobile phone from her hand before trying to snatch her handbag. "When I resisted, another man appeared from nowhere and both took away my bag and escaped," said the victim, who lost Dh2,500 and two mobile phones, credit cards and cheques in the robbery.
The police officer told the prosecutors that a team of investigators was able to identify three suspects and arrest them at their residence where handbags of different colours and sizes were found. "The men admitted to stealing the bags on different occasions after teaming up."
The victims were able to identify some of the suspects at the police station.
The cases against the accused were adjourned to January 18.
sherouk@khaleejtimes.com
 

• Dubai