Five gang members jailed after stealing Dh1.1m from Dubai apartment

Gang became aware that a large sum of cash was in the property

Dubai Criminal Court was told that the gang assaulted the two occupants inside, tied their hands and then fled with the money.

A gang of five men have each been sentenced to five years in jail for breaking into a Dubai apartment, posing as policemen and stealing Dh1.1 million.

The Dubai Criminal Court was told that the gang — two Indians, two Pakistanis and a Bangladeshi — became aware that a large sum of money was being kept in a flat in Dubai’s Naif area and planned to steal the cash by posing as policemen.

In March, they used a tool to break the door and force their way in, assaulted the two occupants inside, tied their hands and then fled with the money.

“I was sleeping inside the apartment with my relative when we heard noises,” one of the victims said in court records.

“I went to check what had happened and noticed someone trying to break the door. I held the door but five men pushed the door using their physical strength and attacked us. They were wearing kanduras and claimed they were policemen.

“We managed to free our hands and attacked them when they found the money, but they pushed us away and escaped.”

Dubai Police found a pair of shoes belonging to one of the suspects that helped to identify them, as well as images from a surveillance camera.

He was arrested in a sting operation and guided the officers to the rest of the gang members, who were also detained.

The gang members were charged with robbery, posing as policemen and locking the victims inside the apartment.

An undisclosed amount of the money was recovered after the suspects divided it and spent some of it.

The court ordered that the five men pay a fine of Dh1.1 million and be deported after serving their five-year jail terms.