DUBAI // Two men accused of stealing more than Dh1 million worth of smartphones and electronics hit four vehicles during a police car chase before escaping, a court heard on Thursday.
The two unemployed Afghans SM, 23, and 22-year-old BZ were part of a gang or armed robbers, police said, though the duo pleaded their innocence at Dubai Criminal Court on Thursday.
They are charged with armed robbery after they allegedly used two bolt cutters and a screwdriver on April 17 last year to break into an electronics company and steal 1,977 electronic devices valued at Dh1.37m.
Indian company owner RH, 39, said: “After the midnight of April 16 last year, I made sure to lock all doors and head home. But at nearly 4am I received a call from police informing me that some men had broken into my company and robbed devices such as Samsung, HTC and Apple.”
He added that police checked surveillance cameras and they had very clear footage of the robbers and the getaway car they used.
“Police managed to arrest them and to find the car they used and 1,774 devices were found in the car, valued at Dh1.158m, but the rest of the stolen devices were never found,” said the owner.
Policeman AS, 48, said that after receiving the robbery report that night, he spotted the robbers’ car with the stolen goods visible inside.
“I ordered the driver to stop but he did not and we had to chase him, during which he crashed into four cars then stopped and the driver as well as another man ran out of it and we could not arrest them,” said the policeman.
SM was later arrested in his home in Ras Al Khaimah. BZ was arrested in Naif, Deira, while the rest of the men involved were not arrested.
In court on Thursday they denied an armed robbery charge and they await a verdict on April 30.
salamir@thenational.ae