Wafi robbery: Man jailed for 10 years

A company owner will spend 10 years in prison after a court found him involved in last year's Dh14.7 million armed robbery at a jewellery store in Wafi City.

The Dubai Court of First Instance sentenced Serb national N.M., 33, to 10 years in jail after he was named as an accomplice to an unidentified number of fugitives in the raid in April 2007. He will be deported after serving his punishment.

Presiding Judge Fahmi Mounir said the defendant will pay Dh20,000 in temporary compensation to Graff jewellery store.

Meanwhile, the court acquitted N.M.'s compatriot visitor, M.M., 52, for lack of evidence.

The judge referred the civil compensation claim, lodged by Graff's legal representative Abdul Moniem Bin Suwaidan to the Dubai Civil Court.

"Ten years! Ten years!" exclaimed N.M., looking at his family members who attended yesterday's hearing as court guards escorted him out of the dock.

"I will definitely appeal the verdict," N.M.'s lawyer Ali Abdullah Al Shamsi told Gulf News.

The Public Prosecution's arraignment sheet charged N.M. with aiding and abetting a number of unidentified robbers who stole two cars, drove into the Wafi City at about 10pm and brought down the jewellery shop's glass front by crashing the car into it.

The robbers were wearing masks and used toy guns to terrorise shop attendants. They smashed the display cases with iron tools, snatched the contents and fled.

Law enforcement officers tracked down the two Serbs and referred them to court.

Not linked

Meanwhile it is believed that four unidentified suspects are still at large and police are hunting them.

According to the verdict, the court was convinced that the accused was aware of the heist as he escorted them to stores on Shaikh Zayed Road and other areas where they bought the tools for the robbery and black abayas which the escapees reportedly used to mask themselves during the heist.

M.M. was charged with possessing stolen jewel-lery. The court discharged M.M. because charges against him were uncorroborated.

"My client is not linked to the crime or the four main suspects who are still absconding ... My client stopped contacting the fugitives two weeks prior to the crime," Al Shamsi said.

He argued that his client was questioned by the police and the Public Prosecution unlawfully because no Serb translator was present.

/Gulf News/

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Dubai Police brings the Wafi Jewellery robbery suspect from Germany

After 13 months from the armed robbery of a jewellery shop at Dubai's Wafi Mall, Dubai Police have succeeded in bringing back from Germany, the prime suspect who allegedly led the gang of robberers.

The arrest of Zivato Andrea, of Eastern European origin, was made possible by the cooperation of German Police as per request from Dubai's CID. The man, who used a fictitious name, had fled the country shortly after the incident.

The night robbery was carried out in April last year during busy shopping hours. The robberers came in two cars and smashed into the glass panes of the Graff jewellery store. The armed men in black clothes and masks then took control of the store and stole jewellery worth Dh14.7 million. They drove off to the Za'abeel area and abandoned the stolen cars there.

Dubai police could arrest of two suspects in the UAE, but the prime suspect was still at large.

The investigations by Dubai CID led to Germany, where the suspect was hiding. German Police worked jointly with Dubai Police and the culprit was arrested earlier in June. He was produced before a German court, which ordered to hand over the culprit to UAE authorities.

/WAM/

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Robbery of an electronics kiosk at the Mercato Mall in Jumeirah.

Three men from Georgia and a Russian woman were charged yesterday before the Dubai Criminal Courts with robbing an electronics kiosk at the Mercato Mall in Jumeirah.

While defendants, Besic T., 34, Bakriba M., 34, and Ana S., 23, pleaded not guilty to the charge, Gorky, 39 admitted his participation in the crime.

The four were arrested on March 2 after police tracked them down in Sharjah.

According to Lt Abdel Karim H., the alleged perpetrators were identified through footage captured by the mall’s security cameras on February 28.

Police said they separately raided the apartments of Ana and Bakriba where the stolen items were recovered. Gorky confessed to serving as the gang’s lookout.

More witnesses are scheduled to be presented before the court when trial resumes on April 9.

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Three jailed in rape and robbery case

Two Emiratis, identified as F.S. and H.S., have been found guilty of abduction, rape and robbery.
The Dubai Criminal Court of First Instance yesterday sentenced them to five years in jail.
A third accused in the case, M.A., also UAE national, has been awarded one year sentence, while the fourth accused, an Emirati teenager, had already been referred to the Juvenile Court.
All the convicts, unemployed and in their early twenties, were charged with kidnapping and raping a 25-year-old Ethiopian housemaid, identified as T.D. on September 19, 2006.
They were also accused of robbing her.
They had pleaded not guilty all along.

T.D. and witnesses had earlier testified in the court that on September 19, 2006, she accompanied a family that was going to see a villa in the Barsha area around 9.30pm.

The family wanted to take the villa on rent. While they were inspecting the accommodation, they heard a knock on the door.

Four people were at the doorstep. One of them produced an ID and claimed to be a police officer. They dragged T.D. to their car while warning the others to not interfere.

The group took T.D. to a sandy location in the same locality and took turns to rape her. They also snatched her bag containing Dh1,200. Source

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Dubai Police bust European ATM robbers

Dubai Police has busted a gang of Europeans who committed a series of cheating and fraud operations using fake credit cards.

A commercial bank alerted Dubai Police's department of criminal investigations on early February that unidentified persons used fake credit cards to withdraw money from its ATM at a shopping centre in Bur Dubai.

Acting upon these information, a team from the unit for combating economic crimes chalked out a plan and set ambushes which finally led them to arrest two members of the European ATMs robbers while approaching an ATM at Rafa commercial centre.

Police sleuths inspected the handbag of the prime suspect where they found 37 fake credit cards and AED 13,279. Some 40 fake credit cards and AED 12,200 were found with the second suspect.

Policemen also searched the robbers' hotel room in Bur Dubai where they stumbled upon 132 fake credit cards. Total funds seized with the first and second suspects reached AED 138,179 and AED 205,000 respectively. (WAM)

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Valuables stolen from five cars in Sharjah parking lot

Unidentified miscreants broke into more than 15 cars parked at a parking lot in Sharjah’s Al Majaz area in the small hours of yesterday and decamped with cash and valuables. The items stolen included wallets, watches, mobile phones, credit cards and cash.

The first complaint was lodged with the Al Buhairah Police Station around 5.30am by a car owner who, while going to the mosque, noticed his car had been broken into and some credit cards were missing. Soon, more complaints of similar nature poured in at the same police station.
The police are suspecting the involvement of one gang in the thefts because all the break-ins took place in the same parking lot and the modus operandi, too, was the same. The miscreants had smashed the windows of the cars.
After the Al Buhairah Police referred the matter to the Criminal Investigation Department, CID officers descended on the scene and took fingerprints from all the targeted cars.
An extensive investigation has been launched and patrols have been increased in various parts of Sharjah. Source

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Gang of robbers busted

Ajman Police have busted a three-member gang that robbed bank customers in the emirate.
Colonel Ali Alwan, Director-General of Ajman Police Department, said the police had received a number of complaints from bank customers about the gang of Africans.
On Friday, the police laid a trap by parking a car with cash stashed inside near one of the banks. One of the gang members approached it and broke a window which set off the alarm. He was caught red-handed while his two accomplices who tried to escape were chased and held. The trio who entered the country on visit visas confessed to all the robberies mentioned in the complaints.

Col. Alwan urged bank customers to be alert when coming out of banks and money exchanges carrying large amounts of money.
Brig Rashid Muglad, Head of Research and Investigation Department at Ajman Police, said patrol teams are being deployed in areas near banks to ensure safety for the public as well as monitor the activities of criminals. Source

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Five thieves caught red-handed

Five Afghan nationals were caught red-handed yesterday by the Ajman Police while stealing Dh86,000 from a UAE national, police sources said. The arrests were made by plainclothes policemen who were keeping tabs on the area where the crime occured.
One of the culprits approached the UAE national who was getting into his car after withdrawing cash from a bank on Bank Street in Ajman. The suspect told him that his car tyre had burst, and as the UAE national got out of his car to check the tyre, the four other Afghans opened the car door, lifted the briefcase, and tried to run way.

However, the plainclothes policemen deployed on the Bank Street immediately swung into action and held them before they could decamp. During their interrogation, the accused have confessed to their crimes. It was also revealed that they were staying in the country on visit visas.
Ali Alwan, director-general of Ajman Police said that police officers had been deployed in and around bank areas to ensure security for bank clients. Source

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Gang arrested for burglaries

The Criminal Investigation Department of Dubai Police has arrested an Asian gang involved in a number of burglaries of commercial stores in various parts of Dubai. The gang, say police sources, had hidden the stolen items in a rented factory in Umm Al Quwain.
The police, following a recent spate of theft reports, launched an intensive search to try and trace the culprits. The CID set up a team of crack sleuths to pursue the investigation of these cases. The latest theft report was received from Al Ghusais police station regarding robbery in a store in Ghusais Industrial area. The modus operandi of the crime was similar to the other thefts reported earlier.
When the police rushed to the crime site, the store official told the police he had, as usual, arrived in the morning to open the store. But he could not do so because the locks had been changed. After getting the manager's permission to break the locks, he discovered that 378 cartons of shoes worth Dh 200,000 had been stolen by unknown miscreants.

On September 7, the police arrested the driver of a heavy-duty vehicle that had been used to transported the stolen shoes. On being questioned, the driver admitted the consignment had been taken to a store in Umm Al Quwain .

In coordination with the Umm Al Quwain Police, the investigation team raided a store in a factory and arrested three labourers who were repacking the shoes into new cartons. The labourers claimed they had been hired for the job at Dh 30 per day.
However, the police set a trap and arrested a man named Naseer. As it turned out, Naseer was wanted by the Dubai Police in connection with some previous cases as well, but had fled the country using a fake passport. But he had later returned to the UAE, yet again on a fake passport it is suspected.
The next day, the police arrested another gang member, 27 year old Mohammed Kunhi, from the Murraqabat area in Dubai.
During the police interrogation the suspects admitted they had burgled six stores. Explaining their modus operandi, they said they first broke the original locks and replaced it with news ones. Afterwards, they rented a heavy-duty vehicle and transported the stolen goods to a rented factory premises in Umm Al Quwain. Since, they used the original set of keys of the new locks, no suspicions were ever raised that a crime was in the process of being committed. Source

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Street robbers jailed

Judges at Dubai Court of First Instance have sentenced a gang of three Ethiopian men to six months in prison each and deportation for robbing dhs7,500 from a man who was waiting for a taxi.

According to police reports, the 29-year-old Sri Lankan victim was waiting by a main road in the Al Qusais area of Dubai for a taxi.
“It was in the afternoon in March and I was surprised when I saw a car stop beside me and two men leave it,” the victim said in the records read to the Court of First Instance.
One of the men held the victim while the other stole his wallet and jumped back inside the car. After stealing the cash from his wallet, he then hurled it back at the victim. The third accused was driving the rented car which then sped away.
The victim memorised the car’s number plate and informed police who managed to trace the men. Source

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Dubai Police recover stolen jewellery

The Dubai Police have recovered the jewellery stolen by a Sri Lankan gang involved in breaking into apartments and villas in Dubai last month.
Khamis Mattar AL Mazina, Director of General Department of Criminal Investigation, said that the stolen jewellery was hidden in a refrigerator and a tape recorder which had been shipped to Sri Lanka.
The CID recalled the consignment and recovered the jewellery concealed in the appliances. The three-member gang, comprising SH. S, M. A and M. S, was arrested by the Dubai Police on August 1. Source

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Burglars break into Sharjah supermarket

A supermarket located on Jamal Abdul Nasser Street was burgled on Sunday night. Its iron shutter was found cut open and the glass door was broken. However, no cash was kept inside, and the thieves decamped without any goods.
A source at the supermarket said when they arrived at the outlet yesterday morning, they found the iron shutter of the back entrance cut open, the doors broken, and the whole premises in a mess. "We immediately alerted the police who arrived and took fingerprints.
The other branch of the same supermarket located in Ajman was burgled just a day prior to this incident, the source disclosed, adding that their King Faisal outlet too was burgled only last month.
A source from the Sharjah Police confirmed that some incidents of burglaries in outlets were reported during the last three weeks. A mobile phone outlet's main door was broken and expensive mobile phones were stolen in Al Mussel area recently. Also, an electrical devices outlet was burgled but nothing was stolen as no cash was kept inside in Al Butaina area.
The police source said that an unidentified gang was behind the thefts and burglaries. This gang looks for cash only, he said.
The official said the police had intensified patrolling in commercial, industrial and residential areas.
The police have already deployed undercover police officers to watch the absconding workers in industrial areas and strangers in residential areas, he added. Source

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Trio accused of mugging bank customer

Three men have gone on trial accused of stealing dhs114,200 by accosting a man outside the bank from which he had just withdrawn the money.
One of the accused worked at Emirates International Bank and is alleged to have alerted two of his friends when the man arrived to withdraw the cash. “I had gone just 50 metres from the bank when I noticed two people chasing me. I was surprised when they tried to steal the money which was in an envelope,” the victim said.

He said he tried to fight off the men and even took off his shoes in an attempt to run faster. However, the men continued to pursue him, eventually catching up and forcing him to the ground.
“The money fell out on the ground and the two men started to collect the money. I was afraid and was asking for help” he said. After investigating the crime, police swooped to arrest the bank clerk who then led officers to his alleged accomplices.
Police are still hunting for a fourth individual who is believed to have worked with the clerk. All three deny the charges and the trial has been adjourned until later this month. Source

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Maid held with employer's cash and jewellery

An Ethiopian maid who fled her employer's house with cash and jewellery worth Dh250,000 was apprehended by Al Ain Police within 24 hours of the theft being reported on Friday.
An investigation into the incident found that the maid broke open the family's safe and fled with its contents when her employers were away from home in the Zakher area of Al Ain.
The maid was caught by the investigations department of Al Ain Police after the police kept tabs on a relative the maid had contacted. A meeting point was agreed upon between the two in an Abu Dhabi apartment, following which the apartment was raided with the cooperation of the relevant authorities in Abu Dhabi, and two women were arrested, Al Ain Police said in a statement. The valuables were then returned to the owners.

Colonel Hamad Ajalan Al Amimi, head of Al Ain Police, congratulated the police department and warned nationals and residents to keep their valuables safe in order to avoid a repetition of such incidents. Source

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Thieves arrested

Dubai Police have swooped to arrest a gang who preyed on villas in Mirdif, stealing thousands of dirhams worth of items. The gang of five, four men and one woman, stole jewellery, mobile phones, laptop computers, cash and other precious goods during their crime spree.

After receiving a number of complaints at the start of this month from residents, Dubai Police CID formed a team to capture the thieves.They tracked down three of the men to Al Qusais, where officers arrested them and searched their car. In it they discovered dhs12,825 in cash and a stash of jewellery.During questioning the trio admitted to the Mirdif robberies, saying they targeted houses which they knew to be empty and getting inside through open windows, or by breaking down doors. One of the gang members also revealed they kept the stolen goods at a flat in Sharjah.And after consulting with Sharjah Police, Dubai CID launched a raid on the flat, where they found the remaining two members of the gang and more stolen property. Captain Khaleel Ibraheem from Dubai Police said he was proud of the work of his officers, adding CID was doing its very best to keep Dubai safe.“We are doing our best to provide safety and keep things secure for residents,” he said. “We are increasing our patrols inside the residential areas to arrest any criminals and we will keep fighting crime.” Source

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Three-man gang held for robberies

A gang of three has been arrested for impersonating policemen and robbing bachelor accommodation. The Dubai Police Criminal Investigation Department (CID) said the robberies took place in Bur Dubai. The three men, belonging to a Gulf country, robbed Asian bachelors by posing as security personnel. One of the gang wore a Dubai Police uniform.
Threats
Bur Dubai Police Station received reports of the robberies. The men, who also stole mobile phones, used a knife to threaten some of the victims when their identities were revealed.

On June 30, a CID team received a tip-off on the involvement of M.S., who has a criminal record. Police arrested him at his home in the Al Quoz area. He was accompanied by M.H. and on inspecting their car police found a large knife. They admitted committing many robberies of bachelor accommodation. Another man named Abdullah, who was their accomplice, confessed that he wore a police uniform while committing the crimes. Source

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Group act out robbery to test police

Abu Dhabi: When a group of heavily armed men barged into a jewellery shop in the Gold Centre on Wednesday at midnight, the security guards and staff had no choice but to surrender after the robbers took one of their colleagues hostage.
The panicked onlookers at the Madinat Zayed Shopping Complex contacted the police and a fully equipped police team responded.
The police team confronted the armed men and rescued the hostage immediately. The armed men were overpowered by the policemen and the staff were relieved that there were no casualties.
It was later revealed that the armed robbers were a group of policemen selected by Lieutenant General Shaikh Saif Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Interior. The entire episode was a secret operation called 'Operation 24 Carat' to test the reaction capabilities of the Abu Dhabi police. Source

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Wafi: The Burnt Getaway Car

Two suspects in the daring Wafi diamond heist are set to appear in court by the end of this month.
Mohammad Al Nuaimi, Deputy Chief of Dubai Public Prosecution, said: “The case of the Wafi robbery will be transferred to the court soon.
“We are about to finish our investigation – just awaiting certain reports from Interpol regarding the two suspects.
The case of the Wafi robbery will be transferred to the court soon. We are about to finish our investigation. Mohammad Al Nuaimi, Deputy Chief of Dubai Public Prosecution.
“We are preparing the files to hand them to the court within two weeks.”
Al Nuaimi added: “Although the weapon the thieves used during the break-in are toy guns, the charge against them will still be armed robbery.”
The two – both arrested in Dubai – were allegedly part of the daring Dh14 million smash-and-grab robbery on April 15 at the upscale Graff jewellery shop, one of only four in the world.
Officials close to the investigation said the robbers wore sheilas, traditional face veils used by Muslim women.
Police, however, did not disclose the actual number of people involved in the robbery.
The two suspects, both identified as Yugoslavs, are in police custody – one at the Port Rashid police station and the other at Al Rafa’a station, according to the prosecutor.
Yesterday, XPRESS was given exclusive access to a tape prepared from videos taken from several security cameras of the Wafi robbery in progress, one of which showed a shopper at the mall dropping a plastic chair from the first floor in a vain attempt to stop the robbers on the ground floor.
The VCD, which combined the multiplex digital cameras of Graff store and Wafi Mall, contained the full sequence of the 115-second event.
The clips showed a Black Audi A8, stolen from its European owner in Dubai, reversing and ramming the glass sliding door of the shopping mall before crashing the Graff store’s left glass door.
Videos taken from inside the Graff store also showed how masked men went out of the car, holding a hammer and what appeared to be a gun, and smashing the windows before grabbing diamonds and putting them inside a black bag.
A white Audi A8, which police later found to have been stolen from a Syrian woman in Abu Dhabi, was then parked next to the black Audi before the driver got out to join the two other robbers inside the store with a hammer.
The video showed scared Graff staff running away after seeing the armed robbers smash their way into the store.
The thieves left their hammers in the shop then later tried to set the get-away cars on fire after the heist.
One of the masks was found in the half-burnt white Audi. Investigators said they found vital clues in the car that offered the key to the investigation. Source

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