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Duo steals Dh400,000 watch from Emirati man

Dubai - A 24-year-old Russian man allegedly aided and abetted them in the attack

Two Uzbek residents allegedly attacked an Emirati trader and robbed a watch worth Dh 400,000 from him, the Court of First Instance heard on Sunday.
A 24-year-old Russian man allegedly aided and abetted them in the attack which took place on December 27, 2016. But he pleaded not guilty to the charge in court.
The two main accused, a manager and a sales executive, aged 23 and 29, were caught by the police after the trio tried to sell the stolen watch at a shop.
The two main defendants only admitted to a theft charge in court.
The 24-year-old a trader said he had imported a brand watch from Switzerland. "It is a precious watch as there are only 88 watches of that brand which have been manufactured. About 10 days prior to the incident, I posted an ad online putting it on sale. Two days later, I got a WhatsApp message demanding more details and pictures of the watch.
"Later I got a call from a man who introduced himself as a Chechen national. He set a hotel as a meeting venue where he would inspect the watch on December 23. I went there with my cousin but he did not show up. He called and said he had a car accident.
"He insisted he wanted to buy the watch and was willing to pay an advance so that I keep it for him.
"Around 5:15 pm on December 27, I called him to see where he would meet me. But he claimed he was still in pain because of 'the accident' and invited me to go over to his flat in Mirdiff," the trader said.
The complainant went to the flat and there he was attacked by three men. "They beat me up until I fell down. About five minutes later, I regained consciousness in the dark and I tried to leave but the door was locked. I knocked on it until they opened it for me. I said I only wanted to be left to go and they let me out".
He called the police once he reached his car.
A police sergeant said the Dubai police operation room was alerted about an attack and robbery incident around 7 pm. "We issued a circular to all expensive jewelry shops on that watch. The following day, we learned a suspect went to a shop in Jumeirah where he tried to sell it. We went there and apprehended him and recovered the watch from him.  Another man who was accompanying him was also arrested. It was around 6:30 pm and they confessed they attacked the victim and robbed the watch from him," the officer said.
"They said that they had an accomplice (the 29-year-old accused) who had planned the whole thing and who had lured the complainant to go the flat".
mary@khaleejtimes.com