Man accused of stealing Dh40,000 of electronic devices says he was not even in the UAE

DUBAI // One of three men accused of stealing Dh40,000 worth of mobile phones and electronic devices said he could not have done it as he was out of the country at the time.

Dubai Criminal Court heard on Tuesday that Afghans MA, 24, QZ, 33, and 31-year-old NM broke into a mobile phone shop in Naif on September 29 last year and stole Dh21,000 worth of smartphones.

The following morning Indian salesman RM, 44, arrived to open the shop and found the glass door smashed.

The next month, on October 8, he arrived for work to find the shop had been robbed again. “This time mobiles and electronic devices worth Dh19,000 were stolen,” the salesman said.

Emirati policeman BA, 27, testified that the defendants were brought in for questioning after being involved in previous similar robberies and that they confessed to the two on the same shop.

MA confessed to a charge of armed robbery during police and prosecution investigations and did the same in court on Tuesday, though the other two denied their involvement.

“I was not even in the country at the times of these incidents,” said QZ, who was asked by the court to provide evidence to back his claim.

A verdict is expected on October 27.