An expat employee who left a company-owned car running in Suq Waqif, while he stepped out of it to take a phone call, was shocked when an opportunistic young man stole the vehicle, the court heard.
The suspect was arrested after he was tracked down through security cameras.
The 22-year-old Bahraini is on trial at the High Criminal Court, where he has been charged with stealing the car by force and using a weapon.
He reportedly drove all the way from Hamad Town to Muharraq before he was apprehended by the authorities.
“I was in Suq Waqif, parked in front of a store, and I left the engine on while I was on the phone,” the 63-year-old Pakistani claimed in his Public Prosecution testimony.
“The defendant appeared out of nowhere, opened the door and then sat in the driver’s seat,” he said, adding that he asked him to get out, but a yelling match ensued.
“In that moment, I decided to get in the back seat, and the defendant suddenly moved the car at a crazy speed. I asked him to leave the car, but he threatened to harm me with a knife if I refused to step out.”
The Pakistani was scared by the threats and so he left the car, while the defendant fled.
Upon reporting the alleged theft to the police, patrols all over the country were alerted.
An officer stationed at the iconic Shaikh Isa Bin Salman Causeway, linking mainland Bahrain to Muharraq, said he spotted the vehicle on the bridge.
“I was in a Rescue Police car when I received message from central operations room about a vehicular robbery,” the Bahraini officer earlier testified.
“I saw the defendant in the car and followed him to Al Ghous Highway, where I saw that he collided with another vehicle and reportedly ran away on foot.”
Another policeman spotted the defendant with a man who was holding a knife.
“I took the knife from the man and when I asked him how he obtained it, he said it belonged to the suspect,” the witness said.
“He added that the defendant approached him at a petrol station and said he needed help because he was wanted for stealing a car.”
The suspect who lives in Demistan was eventually arrested. He admitted to both charges of theft under threat of force or a weapon, and possessing the knife, according to court documents.
The hearing has been adjourned to July 28 for the defendant’s defence team to formulate a response to the accusations.
zainab@gdnmedia.bh
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