Dubai: Five men have been accused of posing as policemen, forcing their way into a flat and robbing three men, whom they left shackled and confined in a bathroom. The five men, two Iranians, two Bangladeshis and an Emirati, knocked on the door and claimed to be policemen before they forced themselves into the flat occupied by three Asian workers in Discovery Gardens in June.

The five men, aged between 22 and 49, beat up the Asian trio, tied them up with plastic cuffs, confined them in the washroom and then fled after stealing mobile phones and cash, said records.

Two of the men were identified through surveillance cameras at the building, according to records, before the rest were apprehended.

Prosecutors charged the five men with illegally confining the workers in the bathroom, assaulting and robbing them and posing as policemen.

The suspect refuted their accusations and pleaded not guilty when they appeared before the Dubai Court of First Instance on Monday.

According to the charge sheet, prosecutors said the suspects attacked two Indian workers and a Bangladeshi cook and stole Dh7,500, eight mobiles and two laptops.

They were also accused of causing Dh2,500 worth of damage to the flat’s furniture.

The Emirati suspect pleaded innocent and strongly refuted his accusations before presiding judge Urfan Omar.

“I was not present at the scene when the alleged incident happened … you can check with the forensic experts who lifted the fingerprints from the flat,” contended the Emirati.

The four suspects also dismissed their accusations.

The Bangladeshi cook claimed to prosecutors that the suspects stormed into their flat at 6pm after they knocked on the door and pretended to be policemen.

“When I answered the door, one of them pushed it open. I fell on the floor and they stormed in. They beat us and cuffed us. Then they forced the three of us into the washroom and locked us inside. When my roommate asked them to present their police ID, he was beaten. They wrecked the house and the furniture and fled after they submerged the place in water … when we heard that they were gone, we freed ourselves and went out,” the cook testified to prosecutors.

The Indian workers confirmed his statement.

A policeman testified to prosecutors that the suspects were apprehended shortly after the incident.

“Some of the stolen mobiles were recovered at the suspects’ residence,” he claimed.

The court will appoint a lawyer to defend the suspects on November 21.