Men robbed two markets in one-night spree, court hears

They stole thousands of dirhams after breaking in, prosecutors say.

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DUBAI // Two unemployed men and a sailor confessed to breaking into two supermarkets in one night and stealing about Dh3,000, a Dubai court heard this morning.

The suspects, FM, 31, from Yemen, HN, 33, a Bidoon, and AA, 46, an Emirati sailor, admitted to the Dubai Criminal Court of First Instance that they used a screwdriver to break the locks of the Al Nakheel and Golam supermarkets in Al Khawaneej area about on September 30, 2010, records show.

The suspects stole Dh901 from Nakheel supermarket and Dh2,000 from Golam supermarket, court records show. The records said they also took 15 mobile credit recharge cards from Golam. 

GH, 58, the Iranian owner of the Golam supermarket, told prosecutors he had locked up his shop at 11.30pm and left for his house nearby, records show.

According to his testimony in court records, police officers came to his house the next morning and told him his shop had been robbed. When he checked the shop, he found the safe forced open and cash missing. The damaged safe was worth about Dh2,000, he said.

Police officers told prosecutors the suspects were spotted at a bus station near Golam and ran from officers when approached.

FM confessed to police that he and his accomplices had come from Ajman to rob the shops. NH and AA were then arrested in Ajman in October, court records stated.

The next hearing was scheduled for March 9.

salamir@thenational.ae