Tourists stole diamonds worth more than Dh11 million, Dubai court hears

Romanians on trial over elaborate plot that saw a jewellery shop owner and his son threatened in Paris and ordered onto train headed for Belgium.

DUBAI // Three tourists threatened a man and stole his briefcase containing diamonds worth more than Dh11 million, a court heard on Thursday.

Prosecutors said in December last year Romanian F K, 58, entered a jewellery shop and told the salesman, B S, 41, that he is a gold expert that is opening a jewellery shop in Abu Dhabi and that he wanted to buy a large amount of jewellery if he got a good discount.

He picked out 55 diamond necklaces, 120 rings, 71 pairs of earrings and 25 bracelets and requested that he get a quote.

Lebanese shop owner M J, 57, told prosecutors: “I received a call while I was in Lebanon from B S, who told me about F K. I saw pictures of the jewellery and agreed to give him a 45 per cent discount.”

The shop owner then received a call from an Egyptian, A A, who is based in France and was supposedly working with the Romanian. He said that they wanted to pay for the jewellery in cash, in Paris.

So M J flew to France with his son to meet the Egyptian and give the buyer a copy of the jewellery certificates and agreed to receive payment the following day.

In Dubai, the Romanian requested that the 6.5kg of jewellery he picked be placed in a sealed and signed suitcase to ensure its safety.

The shop owner and his son met A A the next day and a man identified as A appeared requesting that the father accompany him to his hotel room to receive the money, with the son staying in the hotel lobby with A A.

“In his room, he showed me bundles of 500 Euro bills, and I told him that the money is incomplete,” said M J.

Two men are then said to have entered the room and threatened the shop owner with a knife, saying that him and his son would be hurt if the jewellery was not handed over to the Romanian in Dubai.

“I called the salesman and he told me that the defendant, Romanian M B, 34, was there on behalf of F K and wanted to receive the jewellery, to which I said yes,” M J told the court.

The pair were taken to a train station and were forced to board a train to Belgium. After arriving there, M J and his son returned to Paris.

“I tried to call B S but couldn’t reach him until I came back to Paris, and told him to call the police,” said M J.

The salesman told prosecutors: “M J called me at 1am and told me that they were robbed. I called the police and reported it, while M J called the police in Paris.”

Police officer A Y, 32, said the defendants were identified through CCTV footage.

M B was apprehended at his home in Jumeirah Lakes Towers, while F K and the third defendant, compatriot F A, 57, were apprehended in Dubai Marina.

Police found some of the jewellery hidden in FA’s home and the rest was at F K’s apartment.

At Dubai Criminal Court, F K and M B entered a plea of not guilty to the charge of issuing threats, while F A denied the charge of possession of stolen items.

There was no explanation given as to why F K and MB were not charged with theft.

The next hearing is on May 25.