Dubai: A porter at Dubai International Airport has been accused of stealing a toothbrush and a battery charger from a passenger’s luggage.
The 24-year-old Pakistani porter, I.H., was said to have opened an unidentified passenger’s luggage and taken a toothbrush and a charger while loading bags on an outbound aeroplane in May.
Prosecutors accused I.H. of theft.
When he showed up before the Dubai Court of First Instance, the defendant pleaded guilty and admitted that he stole the toothbrush and mobile phone battery charger.
He asked the presiding judge to hand him a swift and lenient punishment.
According to the charge sheet, prosecutors said the suspect stole from his workplace at the airport’s terminal 3.
A safety and security officer at the airport claimed to prosecutors that he was in the surveillance and control room when he spotted I.H. on camera.
“The suspect was moving luggage from the containers to the aeroplane’s belly at the loading bay. I saw him opening a bag and taking something from inside it. I rushed to the location to check what the suspect had stolen … I found a toothbrush and a charger in his possession. He had hidden them in his pockets. When I asked him why he took the items, he admitted that he stole them. I reported the matter to the police that arrested I.H. and took him into custody,” testified the officer.
The defendant was quoted admitting to prosecutors that he had opened a number of luggage pieces and searched for items to steal.
A ruling will be handed out on October 28.
