7kg gold stolen from Malabar Gold & Diamonds outlet in Sharjah recovered

Sharjah: Police on Monday recovered more than seven kilograms of gold stolen from a jewellery outlet in Sharjah and arrested three of the four-member gang suspected of having stolen the gold. One suspect has absconded.

Police said the three Pakistani suspects were in the UAE on visit visa. They were arrested in Dubai.

The gang committed the theft at around 4am on Friday at Malabar Gold & Diamonds outlet in Al Ghuwair area.

An official from the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) told Gulf News said that the two suspects stole gold jewellery kept in display glass counters.

The store employee received a call from Sharjah Police alerting them about the theft, Abdul Basheer, Zonal Head at the Malabar Gold & Diamonds, Sharjah branch, told Gulf News. The police have formed a team to trace and arrest the culprits.

The police said the alarm went off when the thieves broke the door and entered the shop around 4am. In just three minutes, the suspects entered the shop, collected the gold and ran away. All jewellery stores, money exchanges and banks are linked to the police operations room. The police are alerted after alarms installed in these establishments go off. But in this case, the suspects had left the store even though the police arrived in three minutes.

One suspect was standing outside and kept watch while the other suspect broke the display glass and collected several jewellery pieces, including necklaces and rings, weighing a total of 7 kilograms. The value of the stolen goods is Dh1.5 million, said Abdul Basheer.

There are 16 surveillance camera installed in the shop, 14 inside the shop and two outside.

The store management was installing more cameras in the shop when Gulf News visited the outlet on Sunday.

The police were able to see the suspects in surveillance camera footage. The suspects were not wearing masks, the police said.

Evidence gathered from the spot indicated that it was a planned theft.

Police have urged business owners not to leave large amounts of cash and valuables in their premises and to ensure outlets have adequate security.

Meanwhile, Shamlal Ahamed, managing director, International Operations, Malabar Gold & Diamonds, said in a statement to Gulf News: “We are extremely happy with the manner in which the Sharjah Police have handled the incident. The response from the concerned authorities has been fast and immediate. All steps have been taken by them to catch the individuals behind this incident. The prompt response from the police has helped us to get back to normal business activity from yesterday afternoon itself. We are fully confident that the culprits will be caught soon. We have also ensured that the needs of our customers are not compromised on account of this.”