Gentle Warning

Hey, readers! We recently came up with the idea of writing a few crime stories, real ones, not fictitious, mind you. Some of it could disturb you because the circumstances that the victims live in, may seem similar to the one you and your family live in. But do not be shaken. The very purpose of drafting this series is that apartment residents can be aware of the dangers that lurk around and how they can equip themselves to deal with such scenarios using the ADDA GateKeeper Platform.

We urge you to follow this series closely because who knows, when the pointers mentioned here could be of help to you or a family member.

Crime Series Part 1 – The Dubai Burglary

In the recent past, Hanadi Habib, a 32-year-old woman Indian expat experienced something that left her shaken for a long time. Ms. Habib who resides in an apartment named Arabian Ranches, came home one day to find that the door to their family room which leads outside, had been jammed.

Earlier that day, Ms. Habib had left to her parents home with her husband and baby. She spent the day at her parents’ home and returned several hours later. On returning home, the jammed door was enough to send alarm bells ringing in her head. The downstairs quarters of her home apparently remained untouched. When they rushed to check what could’ve happened, they noticed, with panic that the back door was wide open.

That’s when they realised that a burglar had broken in. Ms. Habib alerted the officials immediately. The house was thoroughly checked. And while some portions were untouched, the master bedroom had been ransacked. Cupboards were left open. The family with the help of officials confirmed that a few expensive items – a Rolex watch, a diamond tennis bracelet among others had been taken.

It is estimated that roughly AED 100,000 worth of stuff has been robbed from Ms. Habib’s residence. When the officials did a rough check, it was revealed that this had been one of 4 other burglaries which happened in a similar fashion in that city. Breaking into apartments while residents were away had been becoming increasingly common. It was also revealed that the security system in Arabian Ranches was quite lacking. Each block would have just one guard and no dependable CCTV surveillance system.

This Could Be Avoided

With ADDA GateKeeper App at the gate, all apartment residents get instant notifications on all visitors. Thus any unwanted visitor trying to enter giving false apartment numbers will also get caught even before they can get access to any apartment.

Also, photos of all visitors are captured at the gate. Thus any miscreant will think twice before planning any crime. The burglars in question here would have had a hard time trying to bypass the security at the gate to go in and steal things. Since their photo is also captured, any visitor would think twice before committing a crime because they know that they will be easily caught.