A woman and a man she hired to steal Dh330,000 from a flat in Palm Jumeirah, because a tenant was taking her prostitution clients from her, will spend two years in jail each.
The Russian woman, 47, was convicted of plotting a robbery by hiring her compatriot, 30, who was found guilty of armed robbery and trespassing.
Dubai Criminal Court was told that the hired man, along with four unidentified others, forcibly entered the flat and stole money and two mobile phones.
The robbery was reported to police on May 29 last year.
"When we got there we found that the flat was shared by three men and three women, all Russians," said an Emirati police lieutenant, 40.
The tenants said they heard a knock at the door and, when they checked who was there, they saw two women and so opened the door.
"When they opened the door, three men, one carrying a knife, stormed in and ordered them to sit on the floor," said the lieutenant.
The trio assaulted one tenant with a stick and stole money from another.
Court records did not reveal why the tenants had so much cash.
"I was smoking on the balcony when I heard screams. I rushed to check what was happening and saw three men who pushed me to the floor next to my flatmates. Then they snatched my iPhone out of my hand," said a one of the tenants — a woman whose age was not disclosed in records.
Police discovered that the 47-year-old Russian woman had hired the thieves and arrested her. She initially denied any connection to the theft, during police questioning, but then admitted to her part and helped police track down the second defendant.
"She said she worked in prostitution and one of the women who lived in The Palm Jumeirah flat began stealing her business. She said she decided to take revenge by robbing the woman's apartment," said the Emirati lieutenant.
Both defendants denied the charges against them in court in February.
"It's true that I went to the apartment but I didn't carry a knife and I didn't steal anything. In fact, they (the tenant) stole from us and I went there to scare them into paying us our money back," said the 30-year-old accused.
Both were convicted and sentenced to two years in prison each to be followed by deportation.