Two men have been accused of stealing Dh1.2 million worth of jewellery from a villa in Umm Suqaim, hiding it in luggage and flying it out of the country, Dubai Criminal Court was told.
Prosecutors said the robbery was discovered by the villa's owner on September 15 at around 5pm.
"We got into the house, my sister went first and she immediately told me that the house was in a mess. I rushed and checked everything, then found out that [someone] had broken into my safe and stolen all of my valuables, gold and diamonds,' said the Emirati woman, 31.
She said the men broke many items in the house, with damage costs of upto Dh30,000.
A police officer said he arrived at the villa and collected evidence. On September 25, they apprehended one defendant.
"The 32-year-old Chinese defendant admitted the robbery and said that his countryman, aged 22, had taken the stolen valuables, hid them in his luggage and flew back to China to sell them there," the officer said.
He said that during questioning, the accused said they planned the robbery and carried it out on the night of September 14.
"He told us they picked the villa after making sure its owners were not there, then after midnight they drove a Mitsubishi there, climbed the wall and broke into the house," said the officer.
He said the men didn't find anything to steal at first but one of them spotted the safe inside the wardrobe, which they then forced open.
In court, the defendants denied charges of armed robbery, trespassing and causing damages.
A verdict is expected on April 22.
