DUBAI // Two gang members who broke into the premises of a contracting company, attacked the security guard and stole Dh450,000 worth of electric cables were sentenced to three years in jail by Dubai Criminal Court on Thursday.
Pakistanis A M, 22, and M S, 30, denied charges of robbery, damaging property, issuing threats to kill, assaulting the guard and endangering the guard’s life when they appeared in court last month but three others who took part in the robbery are still at large.
The gang broke into the company’s premises and attacked the guard, gagged him, tied his hands and covered his head with a blanket before leaving him for hours after they stole the electric cables.
Prosecutors said that the gang also threatened to kill the guard if he resisted or tried to call for help.
Records showed that the incident was reported at 8am on February 15 last year, and police managed to connect A M to the robbery and arrested him in Sharjah.
“He confessed that he was part of the robbery along with four other men,” said policeman S A, 36. “He said he and M S met with the other three at midnight on the day of the incident in Al Raffa and, when they reached their location, they were asked to wait outside.
“Then about 15 or 20 minutes later they were asked to help the other men loading the cables, after which he said he drove the loaded vehicle to Sharjah.”
The officer added that the defendant said the cables were sold for only Dh80,000 to a garage in Sharjah’s industrial area.
“He said his share was Dh8,000, while M S’s was Dh7,000,” said the policeman.
The Indian security guard said that he was taken by surprise when a number of men raided his workplace, slapping him and restraining him.
“They tied me up and gagged me with duct tape and covered my head with a blanket – they also took my phone and broke it,” said 46-year-old guard P K. “They said they would kill me with a knife they had. One of them placed the knife on my abdomen.”
When the guard was found by colleagues in the morning, he was gasping for breath, nearly suffocated. He was untied and taken to hospital.
The two men will be deported after completion of their jail terms.
salamir@thenational.ae