Dubai: A porter at Dubai Airport has been sentenced to three months in jail for stealing six mobile phones from a passenger’s suitcase before selling them off to buy expensive items. The defendant sold five of the six stolen mobile phones at less than half their market price, for Dh10,000, and used the money to buy sunglasses for Dh5,000 and other valuables.
According to records, a passenger who was returning to his home country discovered the theft when he couldn’t find his phones in his suitcase after reaching his destination. He returned to Dubai and lodged a complaint with Dubai Airport Police Station, furnishing the serial numbers of the missing phones that were worth Dh22,000.
A policeman said that CCTV footage identified the defendant.
“We had an arrest warrant and raided his place where we found one of the stolen phones, a pair of sunglasses and other valuables,” said the policeman on record.
The defendant admitted to stealing the phones and selling them to a shop.
He was charged with theft.
Judges sentenced the defendant to three months in jail to be followed by deportation and a fine of Dh28,000.
The verdict is subject to appeal within 15 days.
