Dubai: Two jobless men walked into a massage parlour posing as clients before taking out a sword and a knife to rob the register, a court heard on Monday.

The duo, M.A., a 21-year-old Emirati, and M.B., a 22-year-old Iranian, entered the spa and sat in the waiting room for five minutes before they took out a sword and a knife hidden under their clothes and tried to rob the parlour in March.

When the suspects threatened the spa’s Chinese cashier and asked him for money in Arabic, the latter did not understand what they said and had to ask a Tajik client [who was present] to translate.

The Tajik man claimed told the prosecutors: “It was 1.10am when my friend and I entered the place for a massage. Two men entered the parlour and after a short while they spoke to the cashier in Arabic. They asked him to give them money … the cashier asked a masseuse to call the police. When the cashier did not understand what the duo told him in Arabic, I helped translate for him because I speak Arabic. The duo took out a knife and a sword and they told me to ask the Chinese cashier to give them money. We stalled the suspects for a period of time until the police came and arrested the duo,” testified the Tajik.

The cashier claimed to prosecutors that the defendants sat for five minutes inside the waiting room before they took out sharp weapons and pointed them at him.

“When they spoke, I did not understand what they said … then a client [the Tajik witness] translated for me. I understood that they wanted me to pay them Dh300 weekly to protect me. I refused and I asked one of the masseuses to call the police. One of them tried to open the register with his sword … when I tried to prevent him, the other suspect pointed the knife at my neck. Shortly after that police arrived and apprehended the suspects and foiled their attempt to rob the parlour. Police also confiscated their sharp tools,” he testified.

Prosecutors accused M.A. and M.B. of trying to steal Dh6,200 [that was in the register] under threat and at knifepoint from the massage parlour in Al Riqqa.

The defendants pleaded not guilty and strongly refuted the accusation of attempting to steal when they defended themselves at the Dubai Court of First Instance on Tuesday.

“No, we did not do that,” M.A. told presiding judge Mohammad Jamal in court.

According to the charge sheet, prosecutors said the suspects failed to steal the cash after a masseuse reported the matter to the police who came to the massage parlour and foiled the theft attempt.

A policeman testified to prosecutors that a patrol was dispatched immediately to the location and detained the duo.

A ruling will be heard on October 25.