Dubai: Five Pakistanis admitted in court Thursday to ramming a money-transfer van, posing as policemen and stealing the vehicle and cash in it.
Prosecutors said the five defendants used their own car to hit the van (which belonged to Redha Al Ansari Money Exchange House), then posed as policemen and stole the van with the cash in it and drove off after they got rid of the driver and his assistant.
The five suspects, 29-year-old realty executive, W.M., 29-year-old salesman F.K., 26-year-old dyer A.H., 27-year-old unemployed G.A. and 32-year-old worker A.A., pleaded guilty when they appeared before the Dubai Court of First Instance.
According to the charge sheets, prosecutors said the defendants hit the van on purpose to force its 22-year-old Indian driver, M.I., to stop. When the driver got out to check the damage, two of the defendants immediately pushed him away, jumped into the van and drove off.
The defendants, who jumped into the van, assaulted 27-year-old Indian assistant, R.K. and threw him out 500 metres ahead of the accident site and continued driving.
Prosecutors charged a 24-year-old Pakistani employee, H.I., with possessing Dh500 of the stolen money and staying illegally in the country.
The defendants handed Presiding Judge Hamad Abdul Laitf Abdul Jawad a written request asking the court to assign a lawyer to defend them.
H.I. said he didn't know the cash was stolen. He also admitted to overstaying in the UAE.
"We were transferring money in Jumeirah… suddenly a car came in the wrong direction and hit us sideways. While R.K. remained in the van.. I argued with the other driver. Another car stopped before us and four men walked towards me and claimed they were policemen… When I was about to show them my licence, two of them surprisingly drove the van away. Then they dropped R.K. a few hundred metres away and disappeared," said the driver in his statement.
