Four men jailed for Palm Jumeirah villa heist

The gang flew into the UAE from Kyrgyzstan to carry out the theft

A gang of four men have been sentenced to three years in prison after stealing jewellery and watches worth more than Dh200,000 from a villa on Palm Jumeirah.

Dubai Criminal Court heard how three defendants, from Kyrgyzstan, were found guilty of breaking into the property on January 2 this year.

Prosecutors said they forced open five safes, stealing valuables totalling Dh219,000 before fleeing the UAE via Dubai International Airport.

A fourth man was found guilty of aiding and abetting the trio by providing phone SIM cards and transport, as well as agreeing to sell on the stolen items.

“My employer left to the UK and I left to India on vacation,” an employee, 43, at the villa, who discovered the burglary, told police.

“When I came back I found the place in a mess and the safes on the kitchen floor.”

An investigation by police later revealed the trio had been involved in other burglaries during their time in the emirate.

Officers discovered the fourth man had agreed to smuggle the stolen jewellery out of the UAE in return for $900 (Dh3,300).

A month after the burglary, however, the three men were arrested after landing in Dubai again.

All four defendants were ordered to be deported after serving their sentences.