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The checkers always remind you to remove valuables when you drop the car off, so I duly emptied the coin tray and packed myself off home, clinking merrily. Paying the taxi, I realised I'd left my wallet in the car. I called the girl at the service centre and headed back to Al Habtoor. I was laughing and joking with her as we got to the car together and I picked up my wallet, which had been relieved of its cash contents, about Dhs400 in all.
It didn't sink in at all until later. Someone had actually taken money from my car. To those of you living elsewhere, this will come as no surprise, you're probably sitting there thinking, 'Like, obviously, duh' and I appreciate why you would. But I live in one of the safest places in the world. We're all of us on the hog's back here, from labourers through to CEOs we're all in the UAE because we're better off than we would be back at home. Any criminal conviction, once you've done your time in El Slammer, means getting sent home and so crime, for the vast majority of us, doesn't pay.
The service centre manager was, I was told, investigating. After a while, he'd drawn a blank and, well, that was sort of that, really. I asked him to call the police. He said they wouldn't do anything, he'd had experience of this sort of thing before. I insisted. He refused. I pointed out it was his secure area, his employee and his responsibility. He said they had internal procedures and he couldn't call the police. I asked him to escalate to someone who could call the police and he ignored me. It all got a little heated. It wasn't really about Dhs400 by now, but about someone who had chosen to steal from me. I called the police myself. After ringing out twice, the 999 number answered. I had tried calling police HQ, but they didn't answer at all. You do wonder sometimes.
The CID chap turned up, a young chap in a baseball cap and dishdash. The service centre manager and I explained (he had no English) and he nodded sagely and took my ID, borrowing a pen and piece of paper from the manager to write down my details. Watching him, I was strongly reminded of our friend captain Mohammed filling out Paul's charge sheet in Olives, his tongue stuck out in concentration...
At this point one of the service staff popped in and put a wad of money on the manager's desk and murmered a name. I got the impression the staff had taken matters into their own hands - nobody really wants CID snooping around their workplace asking awkward questions. The culprit was called for - the most stupid thief imaginable - the man whose job it was to drive the cars around to the storage area prior to work commencing. He had already been through 20 minutes of questioning with the manager before the police were called and had professed his innocence. Now he broke down and pleaded for mercy.
The CID guy's first question to the thief was an incredulous, "You're a Muslim?"
So I got my money back and the thief was sacked and will be sent home. I asked the CID guy if he could leave matters at that, which he indeed could - in fact, I'd have to go down to the copshop and file a case against the man if I wanted it taken further.
Of course, later today I'll just have to hand the money over to Al Habtoor anyway. But I suppose at least they extract it with my (grudging) acquiescence...
5 comments:
Very glad that justice was served. A disgraceful cover up attempt by the garage.
The average UAE thief does seem to be incredibly stupid. My neighbour had two mobile phones stolen while his house was being decorated. The police simply searched the accommodation of all involved, retrieving the phones from the room of my neighbour's employee, who had been asked to be at the house to make sure the decorators stole nothing! He had the temerity to beg not to be fired - which, of course, he was. Duh!
I actually feel sorry for the guy who stole your wallet. I know it's wrong but at least he owned up despite knowing the consequences. I am sure he is underpayed yet still sends money home to his family. I would have split the 400 with him.
On a similar note, I saw this the other day:
"A local Norwegian bank decided to test the honesty of Oslo residents by dropping 10 wallets full of cash and credit cards around the capital last autumn. All 10 of them were returned intact."
Luke, I couldn't disagree more.
He was a thief. He stole my money.
This wasn't a neglected wallet - it was my wallet, in my car that I had entrusted, necessarily unsecured, to the garage. A secure location with its own security guards.
Only when it was clear he would be found out by the police did he confess to it - and I suspect this was by dint of peer pressure from colleagues eager to avoid Sharjah CID rooting about in their lives.
I thought I was being stupidly clement in not pursuing the case against him.
Split the money? You're way off-kilter there.
I'm underpaid. We're all underpaid. We all want more. We don't steal it, we earn it.
A smaller version of this criminality happened to me in December 2008. Here, if anyone's interested.
I didn't want anyone sacked and deported over Dh40, but taking half the money certainly indicated an intent to deceive. In my case, I wanted the thief to drop the money into the charity box and receive a reprimand, but nothing ever became of my case. And I didn't call the Constabulary.
I'm right with you, Mr McNabb, for having more testicular fortitude than I. Is it the case that had the thief owned up, he'd have had a reprimand from The Management and possibly not lost his job, his residence, and the chance ever to work abroad again?
I'm going through the Police Good Conduct Certificate rigmarole in Qatar, and it occurs to me that the smallest criminal incident would make it impossible to live and working in such destinations as the Gulf, USA, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa (E&OE).
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