DUBAI - A Sri Lankan cleaner stole four laptops from his workplace in the Royal Court's engineering office and attempted to steal 18 more, a court heard this morning.

The Dubai Criminal Court of First Instance was told that the twenty year-old from Sri Lanka, took the computers sometime before July 21 and later tried to take more, but was caught hiding them in a false ceiling.

The Emirati security head at the office said he was informed that 22 HP and Toshiba laptops went missing from the office during the suspect’s shift.

A Dubai police sergeant testified that the suspect confessed to the theft and said he took two of the stolen laptops to his house and two to a computer shop for reprogramming. The rest were hidden in the ceiling, he said.

He confessed in court today and awaits a verdict on November 22. (Source: The National)