Dubai: Six men denied in court yesterday the charge of forcibly stealing Dh2.73 million from a manager after convincing him that a shaikh wanted to exchange 500,000 euro.
The six suspects, three Emiratis, a Lebanese, an Egyptian and a Pakistani, aged between 23 and 53, pleaded not guilty and rejected the charges before the Dubai Court of First Instance.
According to the chargesheet, the Lebanese, Egyptian and Pakistani allegedly convinced the 43-year-old Indian money exchange manager, M.V., that a shaikh wanted to exchange half a million euros for dirhams. They drove him to a farmland in the outskirts of Al Khawaneej where the Emiratis, who were allegedly armed with cleavers, stole the moneybag and ran away.
The Emiratis were charged with using the cleavers to puncture the tyres of M.V.'s car so that they wouldn't be chased. Prosecution records said an unidentified number of suspects [who ran away] helped the defendants carry out the arm-robbery.
The Indian testified that the alleged incident happened immediately after two of the suspects told him over the phone that the money exchange will happen in the shaikh's palace.
M.V. told prosecutors that the suspects threatened him and three colleagues with cleavers and he heard two explosions.
An Emirati police captain testified that two of the Emiratis were caught in a sting operation in Al Mamzar. The third was arrested at Abu Dhabi airport and the others were arrested later.
Presiding Judge Al Saeed Mohammad Barghout adjourned the case until May 2 to hear prosecution witnesses.
