Dubai: Woman jailed for stealing Dh70,000 from her best friend's savings

A 32-year-old woman of Asian origin was accused of stealing Dh70,000 from her best friend. The victim trusted her, allowed her to stay in her room and disclosed her plans to invest in the country and start a tourism company with her savings.

According to police records, the accused was arrested and referred to the Public Prosecution in Dubai, which referred her to the Misdemeanor Court. The court sentenced her to three months in prison, imposed a fine equal to the amount stolen, and ordered her to be deported from the country.

The accused, identified as LA, allegedly took advantage of her stay at the victim's apartment in Dubai. After learning that the victim had substantial money in her bag, LA reportedly planned to steal it. In the victim's absence, LA took advantage of the situation, stole the money, and fled.

During interrogation at the Public Prosecution, the victim stated that she rented an apartment in the International City area where she lived with the accused for about two weeks before the incident. She was helping LA to obtain a residency visa and had kept the passport in a bag along with her savings.

According to the victim, she was out for lunch with some friends, including the accused. When they were out, LA received a phone call and left the restaurant to answer it and didn't return back. The victim called LA to ask why she hadn't returned; LA replied that she didn't want to stay in the country and planned to leave. The victim told LA she would require her passport to travel, which she didn't have. But to her surprise, LA said she had taken it from the victim's travel bag, which was in the victim's bedroom, along with the money.

The victim became suspicious and immediately went to her residence to check on her money. But to her dismay, her savings were gone. She called the accused several times. LA finally received her call to inform her that she would not return to her residence and would leave the country. The victim then reported the theft to the police.

During the Public Prosecution's investigation, the accused was asked about the theft charge against her. She stated that she took her passport from the bag in the room without permission, as she had asked the victim to return the document to her, but the victim refused. Therefore, she decided to take it herself. However, the accused later admitted to committing the crime and pleaded guilty.

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• UAE
• Dubai