Dubai: A man has been accused of smashing a car’s window and stealing Dh471,000 that belonged to a company owner, who was busy having lunch with his relative.

The 36-year-old Ethiopian man, B.S., was said to have tailed the Turkman company owner since the latter cashed two cheques and kept the money in an envelope in his car that he parked outside a restaurant in October 2013.

B.S. was believed to have been watching the man before he and another suspect smashed the car’s window and fled after stealing the cash.

The suspect pleaded not guilty when he defended himself before the Dubai Court of First Instance on Monday.

Prosecutors accused B.S. and another suspect [who remains at large] of using a hammer to break the window and steal the money. They were also charged with wrecking the car.

The 50-year-old Turkman testified to prosecutors that the incident happened shortly after he encashed two cheques from a bank in Deira at 12.30pm.

“I put the money in an envelope that I kept in the car and went with my relative for lunch at Al Garhoud. When we returned to the car, we discovered that someone had broken the glass and stolen the envelope,” claimed the company owner.

A policeman claimed to prosecutors that primary interrogations exposed the involvement of Ethiopian suspects in the heist.

“Investigations revealed that some Ethiopians had rented a car. The car rental office’s vehicle tracking system revealed that the rented car had followed the Turkman after he drove from the bank to the restaurant. The car was leased to an Ethiopian named Ebrahim [the suspect who remains at large]. The tracking system confirmed that the rented car’s engine remained on when it stopped in front of the bank… then it moved towards Al Garhoud. B.S. was arrested later for his involvement in a similar case… his fingerprints matched those that were lifted from the company owner’s car. However, the suspect denied any involvement in stealing the Dh471,000,” the policeman testified.

Presiding judge Ezzat Abdul Lat adjourned the case until the suspect presents his defence when the court reconvenes on February 5.