Dh1m stolen jewellery hidden in graveyard

A 24-year-old from Kosovo, RN, robbed jewellery worth Dh1m from a shop in Dubai and hid it from prying eyes in a graveyard before fleeing the country. He was arrested by Dubai Police upon his return to collect the loot.

The Dubai Criminal Court of First Instance charged him with the crime along with two compatriots who have fled the country. "I did it, the others had nothing to do with it," he told the court.

The other accomplices identified as OH, 42, MH, 26 and a German director, IT, 42 are accused of possessing stolen items.

Prosecutors said RN, OH and MH broke into a jewellery shop on November 17 after smashing the display table with a hammer and stole gold valued at nearly Dh1 million.

The thieves left behind the tool they had used to break into the shop, which provided the police with a vital clue. The police traced the shop from where the tool was bought. After checking the CCTV footage of the shop, police officials were able to identify the culprits and trace them to Hallmark hotel residential place.

Police made an arrest notification to the Interpol. On November 27, one of the accused entered the country and was put under surveillance. During his stay he used to meet OH and MH.

The hotel’s CCTV footage showed them wearing the same dress that they were wearing when they committed the crime. Their shoes prints also matched those taken from the crime scene by the authorities.

Police tracked the men to a hotel from where RN was arrested. RN directed the police officials to the graveyard where he had hidden the jewellery, following the heist.

A fourth man, ET, a 43-year-old from Germany, was also charged with possessing stolen items. A Pakistani salesman testified that he worked at ET's gold shop and that he was asked to liquefy and reshape the gold to ship it to Turkey.

The court adjourned the case till the next hearing on March 11.

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