Two Ugandans, a man and a woman, have each been sentenced to six months in prison after they were found guilty of stealing and engaging in prostitution, respectively, and will be deported after serving their sentences.
The national newspaper of United Arab Emirates reported on Saturday that the 26-year-old man, a cleaner in a five-star hotel, was caught on camera stealing guests’ money amounting to Dirhams80,000 (about Shs80m) and other valuables.
The unidentified 29-year-old woman was arrested for purporting to massage a Tajik tourist but she together with two other Africans robbed $8,800 (about Shs32m) from him.
The Dubai hotel cleaner stole the Shs80m from rooms in a three-month period and later transferred it to Uganda before he was arrested.
Court heard that the Ugandan was eventually caught with receipts for the cash transfers and a guest’s diamond ring. He was sentenced on Thursday.
The court earlier heard that security at Fairmont The Palm was alerted when they received multiple complaints on the same day; February 2.
“We went back to the CCTV footage and made sure that it was indeed the defendant who cleaned all the rooms in question,” he said, adding: “He at first denied any wrongdoing but cash and receipts were later found in his accommodation room.”
The suspect was arrested on February 4 and he pleaded guilty in court. He will be deported upon release. The publication did not name the Ugandans.
For the female convict, Gulf News quoted the Tajik tourist to have said: “She took me to an apartment and I gave her Dh10. I took off my clothes and she started massaging me. I didn’t like it, so I pushed her away. As I put on my trousers, two African women attacked me and restrained me on the bed.”