Warehouse keeper steals face masks in Dubai, jailed

Dubai - The 43-year-old man was caught red-handed in a sting operation by the Dubai Police, selling stolen boxes of face masks worth Dh8,400.

 A warehouse keeper has been sentenced to one year in jail by the Dubai Court of First Instance on a robbery charge.

He was caught red-handed in a sting operation by the Dubai Police, selling stolen boxes of face masks worth Dh8,400.

The court also ordered his deportation after serving his jail term and paying a Dh8,400 fine.  

Public prosecution records show that the robbery incidents took place over a span of time from May 31 to June 11. The case was registered at Al Rafaa police station.

The 43-year-old Asian man was accused of intentionally damaging the interests of the (public) entity where he worked and embezzling of its property. He is detained.

The defendant, who worked as a medical supplies warehouse keeper at the Dubai Health Authority (DHA), was reported to his supervisor by a Filipina woman after he had approached her to sell her the face masks.

"I am a co-owner of a medical supplies company. I don't know the defendant personally prior to the case. I just know he worked as a keeper at the DHA warehouses," she recounted during the investigation.  

She told the investigator that the defendant offered her 28 boxes of face masks for Dh8,400. "I told him I would think about it. I reported him and was told to make him believe I would take his offer. On June 11, I was given Dh8,400 (that belongs to the police) while going to meet him. The accused was caught red-handed right after selling me the masks."

The defendant's direct supervisor said that the latter was entrusted with medical supplies and given a spare key of the warehouse. "He had been working as a warehouse keeper since September 2010. I was shocked he abused his job to rob 28 boxes of face masks, each containing 100 packets, worth Dh8,400."

The defendant can appeal the ruling within 15 days.

mary@khaleejtimes.com

• Dubai