CAIRO: An Afghan man who had eluded Dubai's police and dealers for more than a year was finally trapped and arrested after stealing saffron from local shops worth nearly Dhfour million, according to Emirate Al Youm, an Arabic language daily. The man, identified as AK, had disguised as a porter to carry out the midday and night burglaries that have involved 11 shops in Ras area since early 2011. The man had stored the stolen stuff at his nearby house before selling it to other shops in the same area, according to police. “He carried out his first operation in February last year,” said Brigadier Khalil Al Mansoori, director of the Dubai detective and criminal investigation department. He said the defendant was arrested when he tried to sell some of the stuff to an undercover policeman this week. Another police officer said the man confessed to stealing saffron, an expensive spice, for an Afghan paint dealer in that area. “Police raided the shop of the other Afghan and arrested him … the thief confessed that he was carrying out the burglaries for that dealer,” said Lt Colonel Ahmed Al Marri, head of the criminal investigation section at the department. “The thief said that he was entering targeted shops and stealing saffron very easily and without being stopped by any one … he admitted that he aborted operations at three shops given their strong surveillance systems.”
