Monday, April 16, 2007

The Great Dubai Jewel Heist...




One of the most startling things to first time visitors to Dubai is the apparently lax security when it comes to jewellery shops. In most cities jewellers remove all the gold and gems from their window displays at night, lock it in safes, and pull down thick bars and grilles. In the sandlands, crime is traditionally so much lower (and rubies the size of hens eggs so ubiquitous) that no one really bothers.

Until now...

The other night two armed ram raiders burst into upmarket Wafi shopping mall in stolen cars and made off with an estimated several million dollars worth of jewellery.

Hussain and Kambiz, two Dubai residents visiting the mall last night, told Gulf News: "We were shocked to see two sedans crashing in at very high speed at around 9.30pm, shattering the glass doors."

"There were four masked men inside. One car smashed the window of the jewellery shop, the men burst out ... They were all carrying guns and hammers. People started panicking, there was chaos everywhere. They took some jewellery and within minutes drove out of the mall."

Investigators at the scene said: "They were professionals ... They drove towards Zabeel where they burnt the cars."

In future, shop windows may have to glitter a little less once night falls.


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