Airline cleaner denies stealing passenger’s wallet

The Etihad cleaner denied stealing the wallet, saying he was new to the country and not sure what to do with it.

ABU DHABI // An Etihad aircraft cleaner, charged with theft, denied stealing a lost wallet, claiming he was new to the country and not sure what he had to do with it.

The Indian defendant, who appeared in court on Monday, said he had only been in the UAE for two months when he found the wallet while cleaning the aircraft.

Prosecutors charged him with stealing the money inside it.

“I did not know what to do with it because I don’t know the laws of the country,” he said.

“Also when CID were looking for it and asked me about it, I was the one who handed it to them.”

A verdict will be announced on June 10.