Dubai: Burglars break into villa while family is on holiday, steal 'valuables worth Dh180,000'

While Irene Sutton was out of town welcoming her birthday week alongside her husband, Andre Verdier, she received the distressing news of a robbery at their villa in Al Furjan, Dubai.

Police are now investigating the burglary and looking for two robbers who broke into Irene and Andre's villa and ransacked through their belongings on Sunday (March 9) between 8pm and 9.15pm.

Recounting the incident recorded on their CCTV, Irene told Khaleej Times that although she was away, her son Aaron, who lives nearby, visited the villa daily to feed their pet tortoise. On the afternoon of March 9 also, he stopped by to check if everything was in order following the weekend rains that hit the UAE.

The 54-year-old Irish expat said, "When my son came by on Monday, he noticed that the front door was chained from the inside, which was impossible. He went to the back and saw that the door had been forcefully opened. Before entering the house, he called out loudly several times, made noises to ensure his presence was known.

The house was in complete disorder; the wardrobes were opened, and the bedsheets were pulled out. Her son noticed that two safes were missing — a small one and another weighing 50kg. He immediately called the police and reported the crime.

The Dubai Police came with CID and CSI and dusted the house for fingerprints. The CCTV footage that captured details of the crime was also handed over to the authorities. Irene and Andre cut short their trip and rushed home to assess the loss and to help in the investigation.

What the CCTV footage revealed

The theft occurred in the non-gated Quortaj area of the Al Furjan locality, where Irene and Andre have lived for four years. The cameras in the front and back of the villa clearly recorded the robbers and their moves.

At first, they approached the front door and rang the bell several times, presumably to ascertain if anyone was home. One of them even placed a leaflet before returning to their waiting car.

The robbers then went around the villa and gained access through the back door. "They knew exactly how to open the door and where to apply pressure. They checked the house very quietly, not making much noise. They spent time looking around and, according to police, even took a knife from the kitchen before heading upstairs." Irene said.

They used a big suitcase from the house to place the small safe inside and a duvet cover to transport the heavy floor-standing safe downstairs. "They probably intended to conceal the safes in their car in case they were searched or stopped, which is why they used the duvet cover and our large suitcase," Irene thought aloud.

Lost in the burglary

"We bought the safes because, at one point, we were paranoid about fire hazards; we wanted to ensure all our documents were fire-proof," Irene explained.

"All the jewellery and gifts we exchanged during precious milestones over the past 20 years are now gone. There were also a few Christmas silver ornaments given to me by my mother over the years, and they hold sentimental value. My Omega Constellation watch was among the stolen valuables," she added.

The keys to their properties abroad and spare car keys were stored in the safe. Fortunately, the family had only a small amount of cash in euros. "We are not wealthy; they might actually be disappointed when they open the big safe. We stored all our jewellery receipts, certificates, and documents there. What is truly upsetting is that we worked hard for these things; we saved a little and purchased some as future investments. And now, all that labour, sentiment, everything is gone," Irene expressed with sadness.

The family estimated their losses to be around Dh180,000 in the burglary.

"We are not a very obvious target for burglars in terms of wealth, and we had everything insured over the years. However, after living securely in Dubai since 2005, we didn't see the need to continue with insurance. And now we have fallen victim," Irene said, urging other residents to be mindful and ensure their valuables are insured.

'100% certain' thieves unknown

"My main concern is that my jewellery might end up in the second-hand market with all the receipts in the safe. People could be approached to buy it without knowing its origin, and unsuspecting individuals might purchase stolen items. That's why I made a social media post with my and my husband's names. So, if people recognise the names on the receipts, they will know these are stolen items," Irene explained.

The family is "100% certain" that the perpetrators are unknown to them or their service providers. Irene stated, "People would assume that they may be someone who works for us, but we trust the people who help us around, and we know they are not involved."

'Incredible' follow-up from police

"The follow-up from the police so far has been incredible. They stayed outside the house on Monday night in case the burglars returned since they took the car's spare key, and they were back again Tuesday night to check on us," Irene said.

"We are hoping that they will quickly apprehend them."

Secondary sales/purchases market

Popular jewellers in Dubai explained to Khaleej Times how secondary sales/purchases of jewellery and valuables market works in the country.

"When purchasing secondary jewellery or valuables, our procedure is stringent. We require the original invoice and the seller's Emirates ID. If the jewellery is old and the seller doesn't have an invoice, we collect detailed purchase information and seek approval from the authorities before proceeding with the purchase. This ensures transparency and legality in all transactions, as we work closely with authorities to prevent any illegal sale of old jewellery," said Arjun Dhanak, Director, Kanz Jewels.

Joyalukkas spokesperson said, "The UAE government has given proper guidelines on purchasing secondary jewellery. The CID department has provided a portal (to jewellers) with a login, and all secondary jewellery purchases should be updated in the CID system. All the details, including pictures, seller information, invoice, identification proof, etc., have to be provided in the portal. The CID examines and provides the approval to proceed with the purchase."

A spokesperson from Malabar Gold and Diamonds said, "We follow the procedures as instructed by the police authorities in UAE. We only buy back products we sell. It can be identified using the brand laser mark on each product."

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