Wednesday, Jun 11, 2014
Sharjah: A woman allegedly threatened the staff of a supermarket with a knife and damaged equipment and goods worth Dh45,000 after they told her that the sale of cigarettes was banned in residential areas, Sharjah Police said.
The Arab woman, 38, turned violent and went berserk in a supermarket in Sharjah on Saturday morning after her repeated requests for cigarettes were turned down by the supermarket’s staff.
Sharjah Police examined the video footage of the damage caused by the woman.
A Sharjah Police official told Gulf News that the woman was taken into custody at Al Hira police station and the public prosecutor has ordered the extension of her detention until the medical report arrives.
The woman is believed to suffer from psychological problems, the official said
Abdul Salam, owner of Haram Al Madeena supermarket near the Clock roundabout, told Gulf News that the woman was very angry when they told her selling cigarettes in residential areas is banned and shops violating the ban face tough penalties.
He said that he began looking for the municipality’s circular to show to her and even went to adjacent shops to get hold of the same but the effort was in vain.
“She was throwing and smashing everything on the ground and it’s all caught on tape. We have handed over a copy of the footage to the police.
Even when the police arrived she was asking for cigarettes.”
The woman came to the shop around 10.30am on Saturday to buy cigarettes but the sale of cigarettes in residential areas is banned in Sharjah. “The behaviour of this Egyptian woman was unexpected, She went to the vegetable section and snatched a knife from there and wanted to attack us. We were scared and ran out of the shop. Then we closed the shop and waited for the police to arrive.”
Sharjah Municipality recently issued circulars to several groceries to immediately stop selling tobacco near schools, inside residential areas and close to mosques as well as in educational and health establishments.
By Aghaddir Ali Staff Reporter
Gulf News 2014. All rights reserved.
