'Golden' Indian homes in Dubai summer target for burglars...

The Indian community in Dubai could be specifically targeted by burglars because criminals believe they are sure to find gold in Indian homes.

Given that summer holidays are coming up, the combination of an unguarded Indian home with gold and jewellery is said to be making Indian homes a target.

How does a prospective thief know the home is Indian?

More often than not, an Indian home is marked by a religious ornament or good-luck charm on the door.

Sheshadri and Vijaya’s three-bedroom apartment in Bur Dubai’s Bin Sultan building may be the example of the above ‘targeted robbery'.

On Thursday, May 17, robbers broke in and took nothing else except gold and jewellery worth Dh40,000.

The Dubai Police arrested at least two men involved in the crime by Saturday.

“They didn’t take anything else,” says Sheshadri.

“We were out on Thursday and when we returned home around 2.15pm, I found the door-lock broken,” he says, adding that he suspected the handiwork of a professional as there was no other damage to the door.

The Dubai Police arrived at the scene within 20 minutes.

“It’s scary that it happened in broad daylight. Surely someone has been watching our movements.”

With no CCTV in their building, and just a watchman, doubling up as security and handyman, the Sheshadris said it was easy for burglars to walk away scot-free.

“When I questioned the watchman, he said he hadn’t seen anyone suspicious that day,” Sheshadri said.

A top police official who spoke to Emirates 24|7 said the police have not seen any major spate of robberies in the Bur Dubai area.

“However, if Indian families have gold at home, they need to keep it in a locker or a vault or safely hidden somewhere in the house.

“If people are going on holiday, it is best to remove all gold and valuables and keep it safely elsewhere, with family or friends or even in a bank,” the official said.

[Dubai Police urges residents to 'register' homes this summer...click here to read how to do it]

Thief returns stolen jewellery after 10 years

An unknown thief returned jewellery to its owner nearly 10 years after stealing the items from a house in Saudi Arabia, saying in a letter he feels sorry for the theft and asking the owner to forgive him.

The man said he found the returned jewellery in a bag placed near the door which he opened in response to urgent knocking late night.

He informed the police about the unknown bag, adding that when police opened the bag, he quickly recognized the jewellery as his.

“The thief left a letter in the bag saying he was sorry and asking the man to forgive him,” Sabq daily said in a report from the western town of Taif.

“He also said that he was in need when he stole the jewellery but decided to return them because he no longer needs money after his financial position improved…he said he considered the gold as a trust returning to its owner.”

The paper said the thief returned all the jewellery and “this means the man will make a big profit since gold prices have largely risen in 10 years.”

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