Picture used for illustrative purpose only.

Mohammed Yaseen, Staff Reporter

The Dubai Criminal Court sentenced two Asians in their presence and one in absentia to three years in jail to be followed by deportation and fined them Dhs127,000 and $75,000 or equivalent amount in local currency on assault and theft charges.

The defendants managed to enter a villa in Al Barsha area in Dubai and robbed the villa owner and his girlfriend of money, mobile phones, jewels and a valuable watch after locking them up inside their bedroom, assaulting them and threatening to kill them using a knife and an electric stun gun.

The case dates back to October last year when three Asians climbed the wall of a villa in Al Barsha area after midnight  to rob the owner, who was asleep.

According to the victim’s statement, he was surprised by three masked people in his room who threatened him with a knife and an electric stun gun and asked for his money.

When he refused to give them his money, the defendants threatened his girlfriend with a knife, he said.

The victim stated in the interrogations that he tried to resist the gang members, but they beat him and one of them photographed him and sent the photo to another man to make sure that he was the wanted man.

Another defendant kept passing the knife on his hands until he had to give them the key to his safe, he added, noting that they took the money and jewels that were in the safe and then forced him to open his phone and transfer 75,000 digital currencies, estimated at $75,000

The victim’s girlfriend stated that the gang members stole her gold bracelet and necklace, a valuable watch and two mobile phones that were in her possession after assaulting and threatening to kill her.

They then tied her and her boyfriend with plastic shackles and fled away, she added, noting that her boyfriend was later able to untie himself and report what happened to the police.

According to the official documents, a team of detectives managed to identify and arrest the man who received the digital currencies.

On interrogation, he admitted that he had bought the digital currencies from one of the defendants for Dhs276,000.

Later, the two defendants were arrested and part of the money was found in their possession.

The defendants admitted that they planned to rob the victim in collaboration with another man who is still at large after the latter told them that the victim had kept money in his villa.