An influencer’s recent reel has sparked conversations about the safety of Dubai, as it features her leaving a set of heavy gold ornaments near a busy pavement for nearly half an hour without anyone attempting to steal them.
Leylafshonkar, the social media influencer, conducted the safety experiment in collaboration with Vanzo Jewellery, located on Satwa Street in Dubai. The video, shared on UAE’s National Day, has gained widespread attention.
In the reel, she places the jewellery on the bonnet of a parked car in a bustling area, then enters the jewellery shop, hides, and films the street as pedestrians pass by.
At one point, one of the ornaments—a ring—falls off the bonnet. A woman approaches, picks it up, and returns it to the other pieces, leaving them all “safely” intact.
Amazed by the honesty displayed by passersby, Leyla returns after waiting for half an hour and retrieves the ornaments, declaring Dubai the safest place in the world.
However, the video appears staged.
Meanwhile, many influencers are sharing authentic testimonials about Dubai’s safety and its welcoming environment for women and entrepreneurs.
In one such video, YouTuber Cintia Arnhoffer tests the city’s safety by leaving her phone charging at a public plug point in a shopping mall. Despite many people walking past, no one steals the phone.
Indian YouTuber Richi Shah conducted a similar experiment at Dubai Mall, emptying her bag’s contents onto a couch before leaving the area. Though apprehensive about losing her belongings, she returned to find everything untouched.
In another video, YouTuber Wealthy Expat left AED 1,000 in Deira, a working-class neighbourhood, to test the city’s safety. To his surprise, the money remained untouched.
Dubai is widely regarded as one of the safest cities globally, attributed to its robust law enforcement and extensive surveillance systems.
