Dubai: Two men tried to kill a salesperson, who ran an unauthorised money exchange business, and stole Dh385,000 from his safe, a court heard on Thursday.
The Indian salesperson was present in his flat where he ran unauthorised money exchange business when an acquaintance called to ask him about his whereabouts in November.
Once the salesperson notified the caller that he was at his flat, the Indian heard a knock on his door at 2.30pm, according to records. There were four persons at the doorstep when he opened the door.
The men forced their way into the flat, assaulted the salesperson, stabbed him in his stomach, tied him with a cloth and stole Dh385,000 from his safe and absconded, said records.
Ten minutes after their departure, the salesperson managed to free himself and called the police.
Police’s investigation revealed that a 27-year-old Indian businessman and his 38-year-old countryman had been involved in the murder bid and armed robbery that happened.
Police arrested the duo while two other suspects remain at large.
Prosecutors accused the apprehended suspects and the absconders of depriving the salesperson of his freedom, trying to kill him and stealing his money.
The two suspects pleaded not guilty when they appeared before the Dubai Court of First Instance on Thursday.
The suspects’ lawyer asked presiding judge Urfan Omar to adjourn the case until he reviews the case file.
The 25-year-old salesperson told prosecutors that an acquaintance [one of the absconders] called to check if he was at his flat.
“On hearing someone knocking on the door, I opened it and four persons forced their way inside. They asked me where I had kept my money, but I didn’t respond. They started searching the flat and when they didn’t find the money, one of them took out a knife and pointed it in my face … they threatened to kill me. Then I was stabbed in the stomach. The culprits tied me up and coerced me to lead them to the safe where I had kept the money … then they taped my mouth, stole the money and ran away. I freed myself after 10 minutes and called the police,” he testified to prosecutors.
A police sergeant told prosecutors that two of the suspects were apprehended. “During interrogation, they claimed that the salesperson’s acquaintance was the mastermind behind the heist. They also claimed that they stabbed the salesperson in his stomach to force him to reveal where he had hidden the money,” the sergeant testified to prosecutors.
The court reconvenes on May 28.
