QATAR COMPUTERS STOLEN FROM MINISTRY OF AWQAF ISLAMIC AFFAIRS The Peninsula On-line: Qatar's leading English Daily:
Arab expat jailed for stealing office computers
Web posted at: 1/6/2007 2:4:53
Source ::: The Peninsula

DOHA • A former Arab expatriate employee of the Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs has been convicted by a court here for stealing three computers from the office he was working in.

The man, an Arab expatriate, was a computer engineer in the ministry and caught by the law-enforcement agencies when he tried to sell these computers.

It so happened that the convict put up an advertisement in a major shopping complex saying that he was selling three computers. He mentioned his mobile number in the advertisement.

The police was tipped off about the advertisement and the fact that the computers he was selling were actually a property of the Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs."

The cops laid a trap. One of the sleuths contacted the convict on his mobile phone posing as a potential buyer. The convict called him for a meeting and told him that the price of the computer set was QR6,500.

The sum was paid by the policeman after he inspected the set and as he was taking its delivery, the seller was taken into custody by other plainclothes policemen who were keeping a vigil.

The incident took place in August last year. The matter was referred to the Public Prosecution, which conducted investigations and referred the charges to a criminal court for trial.

The criminal court headed by Judge Salah Sharif last week sentenced the Arab expatriate to two years in jail and ordered him to pay a fine of QR28,000 as well as return the stolen computer sets after he was found guilty of committing the crime. The court also ordered his dismissal from the ministry's service and said that he be deported immediately after he has served the jail term.

In another case, a local court is hearing a case of illegal liquor sale in which three Asians are accused. The trio was caught red-handed with cartons of liquor bottles which they were storing with an intention to sell.