Dubai: A visitor has been accused of forcing his way into a manager’s hotel room and stealing his Rolex wristwatch worth Dh36,000 and passport under coercion.
The 29-year-old British visitor, D.L., was said to have entered his countryman manager’s hotel room against his will and stolen his wristwatch and British passport in collaboration with another suspect, who remains at large, in June.
Records said the absconding suspect had entered the manager’s hotel room in Dubai Marina area wanting to check out the watch to buy it.
Prosecutors accused D.L. and the absconder of stealing. D.L. was solely accused of trespassing into the manager’s hotel room.
The suspect entered a not guilty plea before the Dubai Court of First Instance on Tuesday.
“I was completely drunk and with a friend when he allowed us into his room. He was also drunk when he complained to the police. I am not guilty,” said D.L. when he defended himself before presiding judge Mohammad Jamal.
The manager’s lawyer lodged against the defendant a civil lawsuit in which he is seeking Dh21,000 in temporary compensation against his client’s [victim] moral and financial damages.
The manager claimed to prosecutors that the incident happened shortly after he decided to sell his Rolex watch for Dh36,000.
“A Britain-based friend of mine told me over the phone that a friend [the absconding suspect] of his colleague might be interested in checking the watch. He provided me with his contact number … I agreed to meet him at the hotel’s lobby. When he arrived, he asked me to if we could go up to my room to examine the watch. We went up. I sat on the sofa and asked him to take a seat … but surprisingly, he didn’t sit and instead ran towards the door and opened it. Then the suspect [D.L.] came in. The latter spoke to me loudly and in an angry tone. He ordered me to give him the watch and so I did … then he asked me to open the safe and so I did. He took my passport and then, before they left, D.L. said I should pay them Dh300,000 to return my passport. Then he sprinkled some white powder on the table and challenged me to call the police … before they left, D.L. told me that I would be in trouble because of that white powder if I dared to call the police,” the manager testified.
Records said the manager reported the matter to the police and hotel’s security.
A police corporal claimed to prosecutors that D.L. was identified from the rented car’s number plate that came up on the hotel’s surveillance cameras.
“We summoned the suspect to Al Barsha police station, where he denied stealing the watch or the passport. He identified the absconding suspect as H.,” claimed the corporal.
Presiding judge Jamal adjourned the case until the claimant’s lawyer pays the civil lawsuit’s fees on October 25.
