DUBAI // Three men pleaded guilty in Dubai Criminal Court yesterday to stealing electricity for their villa after their supply was cut off. RM, 27, an electrician, HR, 35, a labourer, and AM, 43, a tailor, all from Bangladesh, are accused of tapping into a Dubai Electric and Water Authority (Dewa) power line in Deira's Hor al Anz district. The municipality cut off power to their villa after it was found to be in violation of the one-villa-one-family rule, which states that villas in Dubai cannot be shared by more than one family.
A fourth defendant, MR, 55, a driver, did not appear in court yesterday. The men were arrested on June 14 after a Dewa engineer investigated the power line following a tip-off from a passer-by. "I saw the cables dangerously cut and illegally supplying the villa, which was supposed to be sanctioned by Dewa," the engineer told prosecutors. The authority contacted police, who arrested the four men.
The court adjourned the case until October 4 so that MR could enter his plea. The men face a maximum sentence of three years in prison. amustafa@thenational.ae