DUBAI // Six men stole a large amount of jewellery in a burglary then hid it in date paste.
Four of the six Sri Lankans were arrested at Dubai International Airport while trying to flee with the stolen items, while the other two were arrested in Sharjah.
There had been several burglaries in villas across Dubai, with the last report made on December 11 last year by an Emirati who returned to his villa in Al Barsha to find it in a mess and valuable items stolen.
A CID team connected the six Sri Lankans to the crimes.
“We arrested four of the defendants while trying to flee the country from Dubai airport,” an Emirati policeman said. “Searching their luggage, we found a lot of jewellery items hidden inside date dough.”
He said that during questioning, the men confessed to stealing from villas after distributing fake brochures and checking a week later to see if they were still there.
The men stole jewellery, cash and devices from the last villa. They confessed that they had carried out many other burglaries, leaving the country afterwards then returning for more.
At Dubai Criminal Court in January the men, aged between 26 and 40, denied charges of armed robbery, forming a gang, damaging property and trespassing.
But they were sentenced to five years in prison and will be deported afterwards.
salamir@thenational.ae