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Painter in Dubai gets jail term for stealing artworks

Dubai - The 28-year-old artist, an Uzbek, was also accused of stealing Dh1,710.

A painter on trial for theft of paintings and artworks from an art gallery has been sentenced to three months in jail by the Dubai Court of First Instance.

The 28-year-old artist, an Uzbek, was also accused of stealing Dh1,710.

He has been detained after a complaint filed on January 15 this year at Al Barsha police station.

"The defendant worked for me for about two and a half months. I learned at some point that he was looking for another job as he was not content with his salary," a 45-year-old Jordanian businessman said. "I told him to repay me Dh7,000, worth of the visa fees that I had spent, and then he could quit. His response was that he did not have enough money and later absconded from work."

After the businessman filed an absconding report against the painter, the latter contacted him demanding his dues. "I did not pay him those dues. A salesman at the gallery then told me that there had been a robbery. We found out it was the defendant behind the robbery after we checked the surveillance cameras," the complainant told the public prosecution investigator.

The ruling may be appealed.

mary@khaleejtimes.com