Goldsmith locked up for stealing

A Filipino goldsmith was sentenced to six months in jail on Monday for stealing 30kg of gold in total worth Dh4 million from the jewellery shop he worked for. The Court of First Instance ordered that the accused be deported after serving his jail term. The 33-year-old goldsmith had been stealing gold from his workplace for some time before he was caught in September last year and charged with theft. He allegedly stole unfinished gold ornaments by hiding them in his meal bag. He then sold them to a jewellery shop worker. The general manager of the company where the defendant worked said during investigation that while preparing the annual inventory for 2009, they found that 30kg of unfinished gold was missing. The defendant was caught selling the stolen gold to a shop in Naif in September last year. An Emirati policeman told the prosecutor that they were informed about a Filipino selling the stolen gold. The police kept a close watch on the shop and in September, the defendant was caught as he was about to sell the stolen gold. The police officers arrested the defendant outside the shop and found a bag containing gold with him. He admitted to the police that he had stolen unfinished gold ornaments many times from his workplace, hid them in his bag and sold them to the shop worker. The latter knew that the gold he was buying was stolen. Many receipts of purchase and money transfers were found in the defendant’s house. He admitted that he got the money from selling the stolen gold. The verdict is subject to appeal within 15 days at the Court of Appeal.