Dubai: A cleaner has been accused of stealing Dh6,800 from a saleswoman’s purse at an office that he was cleaning while she went to make herself a cup of tea.
The 41-year-old Slovenian woman was said to have left her purse at her desk and went to make herself some tea in March. The 32-year-old Filipino cleaner was dusting the office.
The saleswoman remained 20 minutes at the canteen, according to records, before she returned to her desk and spotted the Filipino cleaning her laptop before she left to the washroom for ten more minutes.
When the Slovenian returned to her desk, she realised that her wallet had disappeared when she opened her handbag to get some money to buy herself lunch. The 41-year-old instantly asked the cleaner over the phone if he had taken her wallet, but the latter told her that he didn’t.
Later in the afternoon, the woman’s wallet was found empty and thrown at a place close to the building where she works, said records.
Police later apprehended the 32-year-old and referred him to the Public Prosecution.
According to the charge sheet, the Filipino stole Dh6,800 from the woman’s wallet and a Nol card.
When he appeared before the Dubai Court of First Instance, the suspect pleaded guilty.
“Yes I stole her wallet and took the money … I did not give her back the money. I am seeking mercy,” the suspect told presiding judge Fahd Al Shamsi.
The Slovenian testified to prosecutors that she discovered that her wallet was missing once she returned from the washroom.
“I went back to my desk and when I opened my bag to get money to buy lunch, I realised that the money had gone. When I first returned from the canteen and before I went to the bathroom, I saw the cleaner dusting my laptop … that was very strange and it was the first time that he had done that. When I called the cleaner on his mobile and asked him if he had taken my wallet, he denied … he also told me ‘prove that I am a thief … you do not have a camera’. Later in the afternoon, someone found my wallet thrown at a nearby place and handed it over to the management of the building where I work. It was empty when I opened it,” the woman claimed to prosecutors.
A ruling will be heard on April 30.
