DUBAI // A fish warehouse supervisor has been jailed for stealing more than Dh92,000-worth of shrimp and selling it on for his own benefit.
The Dubai Fishermen’s Co-op Association employee, Egyptian SJ, 43, was sentenced to two years in jail for fraudulently obtaining 910kg of the fish and he was fined Dh78,000 and ordered to repay a similar amount to the co-op.
Between March 1 and September 26 last year the warehouse supervisor received purchase orders for 68 boxes of shrimp totalling Dh76,000.
Instead of delivering the shrimp to the buyers, he took them for himself.
He was also found guilty of using a weapon to break open the door to the fishermen’s co-op warehouse and stealing another 23 boxes of shrimp valued at Dh16,215.
“He had been working for the society for six years. On September 26 last year, I was informed by employees that the door to the warehouse was found broken and boxes of shrimp were missing,” testified Emirati KA, 42, a society manager.
An internal investigation led to the defendant and to several other thefts he had committed, said KA.
“He confessed to carrying out all the thefts,” said the manager.
Records show that the Egyptian provided a written confession in which he said he had offered to repay the cost of the stolen shrimp back to the society.
He was not present in court to enter a plea against charges of theft last month. However, he is now behind bars and will be deported when he completes his sentence.
salamir@thenational.ae