UAE teen caught stealing from charity box

The boy, along with some unidentified others, also stole from other charity boxes.

A teenager was caught stealing from a charity box at a mosque in Sharjah, a court has heard. The police arrested the 17-year-old Arab national for allegedly stealing Dh250 from a charity box belonging to the Sharjah Cooperative Society.

The boy, along with some unidentified others, also stole from other charity boxes.

According to court records, on the day of the incident, he entered Abdulla bin Omer bin Al Khatab Mosque in Sharjah's Al Nabba area after Duhr prayers and stole the money.

The accused denied the charges during the hearing on Monday at the Sharjah Shariah Court, presided by judge Hussain Al Ousofi.

A cleaning worker at the mosque told the public prosecution during interrogation that he spotted the boy standing near the charity box and saw him taking the money from the box, using a clothes hanger wire.

The worker said that he photographed the boy while he was committing the theft and handed over the pictures to the public prosecution. He said he started monitoring the boy as the workers noticed money disappearing from the box and the boy's movements found suspicious.

The teenager, who was accompanied by his father at the court, insisted that he is innocent.

The case has been adjourned to next month.