Gang jailed for Dh1.3m New Year's Eve raid in Dubai

Five men and a woman were sentenced for their roles in villa burglary

A gang of thieves who orchestrated a Dh1.3 million villa raid have been sentenced at Dubai Criminal Court

A gang of five men and one woman who stole Dh1.3 million in cash during a New Year's Eve raid on a Dubai villa have each been sentenced to three years in jail.

Three of the men forced their way into the property in Al Barsha after the owners went out for the evening, Dubai Criminal Court heard.

When they returned in the early hours of the morning, they found their home had been broken into.

“I went out to celebrate the new year with my family. When I came back around 4am, I noticed some cash was missing from my drawer,” said the villa's Egyptian owner.

He then checked his bedroom and discovered Dh1.3 million in cash he kept in two suitcases was missing.

Money in different currencies, official documents and watches worth nearly Dh60,000 were also taken.

“I looked around the house and saw a glass door in the ground floor was broken and called police at once,” said the owner.

Police tracked down one of the thieves, a 58-year-old man, who gave up the identity of his accomplices.

“He said his role was to monitor villas they decided to rob and to drive the getaway car. He also admitted committing the robbery with two other men who left the country following the robbery,” said a first lieutenant in evidence.

Investigations revealed that three of the Chinese defendants, aged 28, 36, and 58, arrived in the UAE on visit visas.

Another two men and a woman, aged 30, 51, and 52, followed them days later to collect the stolen items.

Three male defendants and the woman accused were convicted – in their presence – of armed robbery and were sentenced to three years in prison each.

The pair who remain at large were convicted of possessing stolen items. They were sentenced to three years each in prison.

They were each fined Dh1.3 million and will be deported after serving their terms.

The verdict remains subject to appeal within 15 days.