Five men from Colombia accused of stealing jewellery and luxury watches from Dubai villa

Court told men carried out burglaries not just in Dubai but around the world.

DUBAI // Five men stole Dh700,000 worth of jewellery and other valuables from a villa, a court was told on Monday.

G A, 28, F R, 25, J A, 23, J A A, 24, and C M, 23, are all charged with breaking into the house in Nad El Hamar and stealing Dh450,000 worth of jewellery, watches worth Dh250,000, US$18,000 (Dh66,100) in cash as well as a device that controls surveillance cameras.

Dubai Criminal Court heard that on and before June 27 this year the Colombians carried out a series of burglaries around the emirate.

Two men from Sudan, T J, 20, and M M, 20, were charged with aiding and abetting the gang.

Emirati M A, 42, said he returned home at nearly 11.30pm and found his bedroom in a mess. “I checked the other rooms and found they had all been messed with and when I checked for the valuables, I found they had all been stolen,” said M A, who called police.

Policeman H A, 50, said the burglars entered the villa through an open window in the children’s playroom.

“We managed to track down the suspects through the rental car they used in the robbery,” said H A, adding the car had been rented under the name of a British national, but officers could find no records of him entering or exiting the country.

“We suspected that the passport used in renting the car was a forgery.”

On July 7 this year T J was arrested. “He confessed to aiding a Colombian gang in carrying out the robbery of this villa and other robberies as well,” H A said.

“He said he and M M met with the defendants on Sharjah Corniche then took them to a flat in Dubai, which was rented for the Colombians to use during their stay.”

Police arrested G A, F R, J A, J A A, and C M in Oman, in collaboration with Omani authorities, on July 9 this year.

“G A confessed during questioning that he and his accomplices carried out a series of burglaries in several countries around the world,” H A said.

G A was also charged with forging and using a fake British passport to rent the car that was used in the robbery. Some of the stolen items were found hidden inside children’s toys.

T J and M M denied aiding and abetting charges. G A denied all charges against him while F R, J A, J A A, and C M confessed but said the value of the items they stole was less than what was detailed in court records.

The next hearing will be on November 26.