Dubai Court jails maid for one month over theft of suitcase

A maid has been sentenced to one month in prison by the Court of Misdemeanours and Violations in Dubai for stealing a suitcase belonging to an Arab woman.

The case dates back to May last year, when the woman reported the theft of one of her suitcases. She said that she had been preparing to travel and had asked a worker to help her carry her suitcases to the entrance of the building. She then went to a nearby exchange office to complete some transactions, and upon returning discovered that one of her suitcases was missing. She subsequently reported the theft to the police.

A police officer stated that he had checked footage of the surveillance cameras and found that the defendant, a maid who worked near the location, had taken advantage of the complainant's distraction to steal the bag and flee the scene.

The maid was arrested and the bag was found in her possession at her residence. During the interrogation, she confessed to taking the bag, claiming that she thought the complainant had left the two bags there to be donated.

In its ruling, the court explained that the elements of the crime of theft were present in the case of the accused, as it was proven that she had intended to take property belonging to others without their consent.

This was based on her explicit confession and technical evidence supporting the incident. Based on the circumstances of the case, the court deemed it appropriate to show leniency towards the accused, sentencing her to one month's imprisonment in accordance with the provisions of the Federal Crimes and Penalties Law.