Six Lankan jailed for stealing Dh1.1m in Dubai

Six Sri Lankan guards of a security company in Dubai have been jailed for three years each for robbing Dh1.19 million from a cash transfer van.

The six Sri Lankans earlier admitted in the Dubai Court of First Instance to the charge of theft of the funds that belonged to several branches of a shop in Dubai.

They will be deported after serving their jail terms.

Two Sri Lankan cleaners have been charged in absentia with possessing some of the stolen amounts and with aiding and abetting the main accused. One of them was sentenced to one year in jail, to be followed by deportation, while the other was cleared.

The two cleaners - who are at large - helped the guards by letting them use their IDs to transfer some of the money (Dh84,000) to Sri Lanka.

The six guards staged the theft and covered for one of them while he stole the cash. They gathered at a flat in Al Rashidiya, later where each of them received Dh160,000 and left the remaining amount for various expenses.

The incident took place between May 6 and 10. The main accused admitted during investigation that they planned the theft a few days in advance. They rented a flat for the purpose and decided to split the money and transfer most of it back home through money exchange outlets.

They hid in the Dubai flat and also in Sharjah.

At around 1.30pm on May 6, they went to a shop at the Deira Metro station where they were supposed to collect funds. One of them pretended he was going to the washroom. As his accomplices distracted the staff at the shop, that accused went to the cash transfer vehicle and stole the money bags after the driver - who trusted him - opened the safe for him. The driver thought the guard would be taking empty bags as usual.

Once they took the cash, the guards fled the scene in two cabs and went to Sharjah, where they changed their clothes. In the evening, they gathered in the rented flat in Al Rashidiya.

The police arrested the main accused shortly later and recovered a part of the money from him. He told the police that some of his accomplices managed to transfer their shares outside by using others' IDs.

Apart from Dh1.1million, the guards also stole SR976, RO118, QR1,190 and $740.

The cash in different currencies was recovered from them.

They paid Dh2,500 to one of the cleaners, whom they met in Sonapur labour accommodation, to let them use his ID.(KhaleejTimes)