DUBAI // Police recovered more than 600 stolen mobile phones valued at Dh3.6 million (US$980,000), less than a day after they were taken from a warehouse in Jebel Ali, they reported yesterday. Brig Khalil Ebrahim al Mansouri, the head of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), said at a news conference that two Russians were arrested in connection with the burglary on September 21.
"The theft was carried out by a Russian man who came to the country to carry out similar crimes," Brig al Mansouri said. "Another Russian man helped the first suspect to hide the stolen items. Investigations have revealed that the crime was organised by a gang which is operating abroad and is planning thefts in the UAE." The gang had intended to smuggle them outside the country, according to police records.
Along with the two suspects, who were arrested in the country, a third person helped plan the theft but is outside the UAE, according to Brig al Mansouri. "We have issued an international arrest warrant against the third suspect, who is also from Russia," he said. One man, KB, broke into the warehouse through a window after destroying the security camera, according to police records. "The warehouse had weak security precaution measures, which made it easy for the suspect not only to break in but also to stay more than three hours in the warehouse to choose the most expensive mobiles," said Brig al Mansouri, adding that it was the second time a burglary has been carried out on the warehouse. Twenty-two investigation teams were deployed to track down the suspects.
KB was arrested in Sharjah in a raid carried out with the Sharjah Police. During interrogation, KB confessed and told police about his two collaborators and the location of the stolen items, officials said. "The mobiles were found in a caravan in Ras al Khaimah which belonged to the second suspect," said Al Mansouri. newsdesk@thenational.ae
