Sharjah Police nab gold thieves

Sharjah Police managed to retrieve a large quantity of gold jewellery and other stolen items after it was smuggled out of the country. Sharjah Police on Sunday arrested a gang comprising two men and two women from Sri Lanka for stealing gold jewellery worth Dhs220,000 in addition to cash, electronic items, mobile phones, watches and other kinds of valuables from houses and apartments in various areas. The gangsters sold part of the stolen gold worth Dhs120,000 to a jewellery shop at one of the emirates for Dhs48,000 and smuggled the rest of the gold and other stolen items to their home country. The police said the two men used to send the two women, who live in the country illegally, to knock on doors offering part-time domestic help and after entering the houses they would steal their valuables. The police received a number of complaints from victims at various police stations in Sharjah, and accordingly a team of CID officers was formed to arrest the culprits red-handed. During the course of investigations the police managed to identify the suspects and locate their accommodation. The suspects were arrested while trying to get forged passports to depart from the country. During interrogation they confessed their crime and said that they sold part of the gold to a jewellery shop for half the cost without a receipt. The police arrested the jeweller on the charge of buying stolen items after he confessed that he had received the gold and paid the suspects in cash. Based on the confession they were all referred to public persecution. A top police official called on residents not to hire strangers or allow them to enter their houses or apartments.