31/07/2026
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31/07/2026
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KUWAIT CITY, Jul 31: A Bedou woman in Kuwait thought she had found an easy target when she walked into a jewelry shop in Souq Al-Mubarakiya, pretended to be interested in buying gold and allegedly walked out with a bracelet worth around KD 500.
But her plan quickly unraveled. Less than 48 hours after the theft, investigators tracked her down after she allegedly tried to sell the same stolen bracelet at a gold shop in Farwaniya.
According to a security source, the incident began when an unidentified woman wearing a black abaya and niqab entered the jewelry store in Mubarakiya. She reportedly behaved like an ordinary customer, examining gold jewelry and showing interest in making a purchase.
While the shopkeeper was distracted, she allegedly seized a gold bracelet valued at approximately KD 500 and left the store.
The shop owner immediately reported the theft to police and handed over CCTV footage showing the incident.
One bracelet, one alert to gold shops — and the trap was set
The Capital Governorate Investigations Department moved quickly.
Investigators circulated a description of the stolen bracelet among gold shops across Kuwait, effectively putting the stolen item on the radar of dealers who might unknowingly receive it.
That move paid off.
Less than two days later, the Ministry of Interior's operations room received a call from an employee at a Farwaniya gold shop. A woman had reportedly arrived at the shop offering a bracelet for sale — and the item matched the description of the jewelry reported stolen from Mubarakiya.
Detectives rushed to the shop and arrested the woman.
During the investigation, authorities discovered that she was residing in Kuwait illegally.
Her first excuse collapsed when police showed the footage
Initially, the suspect denied stealing the bracelet.
She reportedly claimed that she had accidentally found or dropped the bracelet into her bag.
That explanation did not last long.
When investigators confronted her with the surveillance footage from the Mubarakiya jewelry store, she reportedly admitted to the theft.
But the investigation took an even more serious turn when she allegedly confessed that the incident was not an isolated crime.
According to the security source, the woman admitted that she had been repeatedly targeting gold shops over the previous several months, allegedly using the same tactic each time — distracting shopkeepers while stealing jewelry.
She also told investigators that she disposed of the stolen jewelry by selling it to another gold shop.
Investigation widens beyond the KD500 bracelet
Authorities are now working to determine the full scale of the alleged theft operation and are tallying the other reported incidents the woman confessed to.
Investigators are also pursuing the owner of the gold shop suspected of purchasing stolen jewelry, as authorities work to establish whether the buyer knowingly dealt in the stolen items.
The woman has been referred to the competent authorities for the necessary legal proceedings, while the investigation continues to uncover any additional thefts linked to her alleged activities.
by John C Fernandes
Arab Times Online Media Manager
