6 men lose appeal over Dh3.6m heist verdict in Dubai

Dubai - The six defendants were also accused of stealing four mobile phones from the staff.

Six men, who robbed Dh3.6 million from the staff of a money exchange house at knifepoint, have lost their appeal against a three-year jail sentence. The four Cameroonians and two Malians (aged between 29 and 38) have other accomplices who are at large.

They were convicted of an armed robbery charge by the Court of First Instance in April. The incident happened at a hotel room in Al Muraqqabat on February 15. The thieves managed to intimidate the staff with knives and fled the meeting venue with the cash after gagging and tying the staff.

The six defendants were also accused of stealing four mobile phones from the staff. Only two of them had admitted in court to a forcible robbery charge.

The Court of Appeals upheld their jail terms on Tuesday and ordered their deportation.

A 30-year-old Indian PRO said: "On February 14, I received a phone call from my Sri Lankan friend. He told me about a Jordanian national who wanted to covert $1 million into dirhams. Since such a large amount was not available at our outlet, I contacted my friend who works at another office. The latter said he could arrange Dh3.6 million."

The exchange staff then struck an agreement with the Jordanian man to meet at a hotel room to finish the deal around noon the following day.

"We went for the meeting carrying a suitcase with Dh3.6 million. The Jordanian man was there and shortly later he was joined by four Africans. One of the suspects took out some dollar packets from a bag and pretended he was counting.

"At one point, we thought he would take out another packet from the bag. But we were shocked when he took out a knife. I was taken by surprise when the suspect sitting next to me pushed me down and tied my feet and hands," the PRO told the prosecutor.

The money exchange staff and the Jordanian were intimidated, gagged and tied up until the thieves made away with the Dh3.6 million.

A police major said they made the arrests on February 21 in Marina, Satwa and Al Ain. Different amounts of money were seized from the defendants.

The appellate court ruling can be challenged within 30 days at the Court of Cassation.

mary@khaleejtimes.com