Dubai gang appear in court over Dh700,000 cash theft

The men are charged with robbing a security truck last year

Seven men have been accused of stealing nearly Dh700,000 after they attacked a money-transfer vehicle in Dubai.

The masked defendants used two cars to block the truck before threatening to kill the driver and two security guards.

Fearing for their lives, the staff handed over all the cash in the vehicle.

The defendants, who were armed with knives and metal bars, then drove off from the scene.

“It was around 9.45pm when a pickup vehicle blocked our path and another prevented us from reversing,” the driver of delivery van told Dubai Criminal Court.

“One of them [the defendant's] pulled my head down and pointed a knife at my neck threatening to kill me if I didn’t hand him the money.”

The incident took place on December 16 last year in the Al Qouz area of Dubai.

Detectives later arrested one of the men as he was trying to leave the country from Sharjah International Airport.

Three other men, aged between 27 and 41, were also detained. The remaining three are still on the run.

“We found some of the stolen cash in his possession,” said one police officer, describing the arrest a defendant in Sharjah.

“He admitted to the crime and said his share was only Dh8,000.” The hearing has adjourned until April 22.