Abu Dhabi: Gang gets 10-year prison sentence for stealing AED 970,000

The Abu Dhabi Court of Appeal, amended a ruling by sentencing an African gang of 10 members (Dark Sky gang) to 10 years in prison, for stealing an amount of AED 970,000 from a money exchange center, instead of the initial 15 years sentence.

The Court of First Instance had previously sentenced each of them to 15 years’ imprisonment followed by deportation.

All the accused had denied the robbery except for the first defendant who confessed, and the court confronted them with their confessions recorded from the prosecution’s investigations, but they still insisted on denying them.

The details of the case date back to January 6, 2017, when the defendants stole money belonging to a money exchange company in Musaffah industrial zone, carrying knives they bought from a neighboring city, and driving a private vehicle they rented using forged identification.

The gang managedd to steal a bag containing 970 thousand dirhams, by assigning one of them to hit the first victim and threatening the second with a weapon. They were able to steal the money and esacape the scene with the rented car. Abu Dhabi police was able to identify and arrest them in less than an hour from receiving the report of the crime.