A Doha Criminal Court has sentenced two Sri Lankan men to three years in jail each for stealing copper cables owned by their employer, local Arabic daily Arrayah has reported.  
The court also ordered their deportation on completion of the prison term. A third defendant in the case was acquitted.  The two men stole some copper cables, which belonged to the company where they worked, and hid them in their accommodation.
One night, they took the cables to a place in the Industrial Area, after hiring a pick-up with a driver, with the intention of selling them. They paid the driver QR100 for this purpose.
They sold the stolen cables for QR2,625. However, a security guard at the accommodation felt that their actions were suspicious, especially because they were going out late at night. Accordingly, he reported the matter to the owner of the company, who decided to look into the matter directly. When confronted, the duo admitted to stealing the copper cables.  After being arrested, the driver denied having any knowledge about the theft and said he had only given the duo a ride in his pick-up for QR100. The court acquitted him for lack of evidence, while the two others were convicted.