Three men broke into a hypermarket and stole Dh48,000 worth of mobile phones and phone recharge cards, Dh124,000 in cash and 12 passports, Dubai Criminal Court heard on Monday.
On February 27, police were called by the shop’s accountant who arrived at work to find the main door damaged and the inside of the store ransacked.
"The accountant called me around 6am that day and said he checked the items and discovered that the thieves stole 100 smart phones worth Dh48,895, and recharge cards worth Dh25,926, Dh124,000 in cash, and iron safe worth Dh5,000 with 12 passports inside of it," said a 47-year-old Indian salesman who works at the hypermarket.
Police arrested the three unemployed Pakistani men — aged 29, 31 and 32 — on March 19.
An Emirati lieutenant, 26, said that during police questioning the suspects admitted to planning the robbery with two others who remain at large.
"They said that they headed to the place in Al Quoz industrial area at 3am after watching the hypermarket for a few days to know the working hours," said the officer.
He said the trio smashed the glass window and stole the smart phones then took the phones and other stolen items to their flat in Hor Al Anz where they broke open the safe and found passports, cash, and recharge cards inside.
Another policeman said the men away threw the passports, which belonged to the hypermarket's employees, and split the other items and cash among them.
At court on Monday, the men denied charges of armed robbery and damaging property.
A verdict is expected on November 13.
