Dubai: Three people who were accused of stealing Dh457,000 from a businessman in a gold-buying scam, were sentenced to three years in jail here. The three men were additionally fined Dh457,000 and ordered to be deported after serving their jail term.
A Dubai Court of First Instance heard that in December of last year, the Emirati victim had asked his friend to find gold merchants so that he could buy some gold. The man’s friend contacted a Sri Lankan middleman who posted an online advertisement, seeking to buy gold. “Someone from the United States contacted me, claiming that he had gold to sell in Dubai. I contacted another man in the country who asked me to come to an office to check the gold and bring the money to buy it,” said the Sri Lankan man in court.
He went to an office in the Al Muraqqabat area of Deira, Dubai, with the Emirati businessman and his friend to buy the gold from the 31-year-old defendant from Senegal. The Emirati checked the six gold bars and gave Dh457,000 in advance for the gold before the other two defendants attacked the office. “The man was checking the money when two men raided the office, asking us to drop our phones. They claimed that they were policemen and threatened to assault us with a taser-gun. They stole the money and escaped,” said the Emirati victim on record.
Dubai Police arrested the 36-year-old Emirati defendant and the 34-year-old Indian defendant who had raided the office. The Emirati defendant admitted to helping the Indian and the defendant from Senegal in the scam. He said that the Indian defendant threatened the victim with a taser-gun and stole the money and the six gold bars.
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Dubai Public Prosecution has charged the defendants with illegally locking the victims inside the office and stealing the money.
The verdict will be subject to appeal within 15 days.