Man steals in UAE to treat sick mother; here's his punishment

Ajman - He had stolen from a car when the driver left the engine running and went inside his office.

A 39-year-old Asian man was found guilty of stealing Dh7,500 from a company car, but when the Ajman Criminal Court heard that he did it because his mother was sick, he was sentenced to only three months in jail.

The man didn't even use the entire money he stole, as he just needed to remit Dh1,000 for his mother's immediate treatment. After sending the exact amount back home, he buried the rest of the cash in a desert area, records showed.

The cash kept in the car belonged to a company specialising in packaging spices. The driver said he left the vehicle with the engine running in front of their office to get some documents.

When he came back a few minutes later, he noticed that money case was missing, so he immediately filed a complaint at the police station.

Officers reviewed footage from the CCTV cameras at the site and saw the accused stealing the cash from the car and throwing the case in a trash bin.

When confronted with the evidence, the defendant confessed to the crime and explained his reason.

Considering the tough circumstances the man was in and the fact that he never had a criminal record, the court decided to keep his jail term at a minimum.

afkarali@khaleejtimes.com

• Ajman