'I did not steal grandpa's treasure'

In a dramatic development the Emirati who allegedly masterminded the theft of Dh1.7 million from his grandfather denied the accusation, telling the Dubai Criminal Court he knew nothing about the robbery.

Despite his confession before police that he planned with the other two accused to steal his grandfather’s treasury box, BMK, 35, jobless, told the court: “I have nothing to do with the theft.”

The other two accused - HJH, 24, jobless, Emirati, and YAS, 28, carpenter, Yemeni - repeated their confession and told the jury presided by Judge Al Saeed Barghouth that they did steal but only Dh1.3m and not Dh1.7m.

The two also insisted that BMK is the master planner of the theft and that he supplied them with a video recording of his grandfather’s house and told them about the location of the treasury box and specified the date and time of the theft.

“We committed the theft to help BMK get his mother’s money from his grandfather. BMK told us that his grandfather had given his aunt [his mother’s sister] her share of the legacy but not to his mother,” HJH told the jury.

“He told us that his grandfather is giving away the money to the housemaid. We sympathised with him and brought him the money against an award from the money,” he said and submitted a written defence to the court.

However, the two denied tying up the housemaid. But they said as they were surprised by her presence in the house since BMK had told them that his grandfather had left with the driver and that there was nobody in the house, they asked her to stay in a room and not to move out.

The defence lawyer of BMK requested the court to hear the affirmative witnesses in the case: the grandfather Mattar Ghaleb, the housemaid Khairiya Amah Sultan, and the policeman Issam Abbad Ali. She also asked for bail for her client.

The court adjourned the case for hearing the affirmative witnesses.

According to the accusation sheet BMK, HJH and YAS forcibly stole Dh1.7m from BMK’s grandfather on March 24. They entered his house and tied up the housemaid, broke the treasury box and took away the money.

The three were also accused of tying up the housemaid and locking her in a room after claiming to be CID officers.

Mattar Ghaleb Mohammed, 77, retired, Emirati, complained on March 24 that Dh1.7m was missing from his treasury box in his house in the Al Satwa area and accused his grandson BMK of stealing as he was the only one who knew about the treasury box and the money in it.

Mattar told the prosecution that at around 11am of that day he heard calls for help from one of the rooms of his house and found the Khairiya in a room that was locked from outside.

Khairiya, 25, Sri Lankan, told the prosecution that someone entered the house and claimed to be a CID officer. He then tied her hands and legs with nylon ropes and locked the door of the room from outside.

Issam Abbad Ali, 34, policeman, testified that on checking the victim’s house he found the ropes used in the crime and that the treasury box was missing.

He testified that the three confessed that BMK planned the theft and supplied the other two HJH and YAS with a video recording of his grandfather’s house, including the location of the treasury box and the entrances and exits of the house.

They admitted that BMK watched the area from outside while the other two climbed the fence and executed the theft, testified the policeman.

Searching the house of the suspects police confiscated Dh927,000 in the possession of HJH, testified Abbad.

Omar Hassan, 25, policeman, testified that Dh374,000 was found in the possession of YAS who confessed to entering the house, pretending to be CID staff, tying up the housemaid and removing the AC to smuggle out the treasury box. They then took it to the desert, broke it open and took the money.

Police lifted the fingerprint of the left thumb of YAS from the wall near the place where the treasury box was kept.

Follow Emirates 24|7 on Google News.