Dubai: A jobless man has been accused of stealing his brother’s passport and flying out illegally to Thailand where he stayed for three years since his passport had been withheld at Dubai Court.
The 37-year-old Emirati man, H.A., was said to have stolen his brother’s passport from the latter’s car, went to the airport, purchased a ticket to Thailand and left the country in 2007.
The man used his brother’s passport for illegal purposes, according to records, as he used it to purchase the ticket and travel abroad since his passport was in the custody of Dubai Court over legal issues.
Prosecutors accused H.A. of stealing his brother’s passport and travelling out of the UAE illegally.
After three years in Thailand, the suspect was said to have decided to return to the UAE before he turned himself in to the UAE Embassy in Thailand.
The suspect pleaded guilty and asked for leniency when he showed up before the Dubai Court of First Instance.
According to the charge sheet, prosecutors said the defendant presented his brother’s passport to the authorities at Dubai International Airport and travelled abroad in an illegal manner.
The elder brother claimed to prosecutors that in May 2007, he discovered that his passport had been stolen from his car after Isha prayers.
“I had kept my passport inside my vehicle. The next day I found out that my brother had taken it from my car. He had also used it to leave the UAE because he was wanted by several authorities and his passport was confiscated at the Dubai Court,” the brother testified.
The defendant was quoted admitting to prosecutors that he stole the passport from his brother and used it to run away to Thailand.
The suspect was cited confessing: “Once I took the passport, I went immediately to Dubai airport. I booked a ticket to Thailand and travelled. I stayed in Thailand for three years because I was wanted… then I decided to return. I surrendered at the UAE Embassy and I was repatriated here.”
A ruling will be heard next month.
