Cabby’s selfie and Dropbox helps hostess identify phone thief

court will give verdict on August 8

DUBAI 22 July 2017: A selfie and a software helped a woman identify the person who stole her mobile which she had forgotten in a taxi, the Dubai Criminal Court heard.

On April 24, at 7am, IC, Canadian air hostess, took a taxi from Al Barari area to the airport as she was on duty.

Reaching at the airport, the air hostess forgot her Galaxy S4 in the taxi. She noticed the missing mobile when she was in the plane.

She called the number several times but nobody answered the calls then the mobile was switched off.

After she returned from her trip and with the help of her colleague, she reported the incident to Dubai Transport.

Dubai Transport investigated the complaint and the driver denied finding any mobile in the car.

On May 8, the air hostess checked using on iPad her account on “drop box”, a software that can be shared by a user on different electronic devices.

“I was shocked to find a selfie of the taxi driver who dropped me to the airport. The selfie was taken using my mobile,” said the victim.

On the following day, the air hostess reported the taxi driver to the police and supplied them with the picture of the taxi driver.

SK, 39, Pakistani, driver was summoned and asked about the mobile, admitted to taking it for himself after the air hostess forgot it on the back seat after she got off the car.

The driver did not return the mobile to its owner. He also did not handed it over to the police or his employer.

“I switched off with the intention of keeping it to myself. I took a selfie using the mobile,” he admitted.

Police searched the driver and found the mobile in his possession.

The court will give verdict on August 8.

By Lolyana Zaki