Dubai: A visitor has been accused of kicking a businessman who was walking in a street and stealing Dh19,000 from him.

The 43-year-old Ethiopian visitor and his countryman friend, who absconded, were said to have mugged the Indian businessman while he was walking towards a money exchange house in Naif area.

The visitor blocked the businessman’s way and kicked him in his leg, according to records, and when he lost his balance and fell down, the absconder picked the cash from his pocket and ran away in August.

Law enforcement officers apprehended the 43-year-old visitor in Mankhoul area where he was spotted preying on bank clients, watching them closely and waiting to rob them.

Prosecutors charged the 43-year-old with assaulting the businessman and stealing his money.

The suspect pleaded not guilty when he showed up before the Dubai Court of First Instance on Tuesday.

According to the charge sheet, prosecutors said the visitor kicked the victim and made him fall while the absconding suspect stole the money.

“I did not do that,” the 43-year-old suspect told presiding judge Mohammad Jamal.

The businessman testified to prosecutors that the incident happened when he was heading to the money exchange to deposit the money in a credit card account.

“I was walking to the exchange house when the suspect came from my right and the runaway from the other side. The 43-year-old suddenly kicked my right leg, I lost my balance and fell on the ground … the other man snatched the money from my pocket and ran away. I chased the men and shouted ‘thieves … thieves’. I failed to restrain any of them. Then I complained to the police. Twenty days later, police summoned me to identify the 43-year-old who had been arrested,” he claimed to prosecutors.

A policeman claimed to prosecutors that the 43-year-old was apprehended after he was suspected to be preying on bank clients and waiting to mug victims in Al Mankhoul.

“Firstly he tried to run away when he noticed that the police had been watching him … we foiled his attempt and arrested him. He was wanted for involvement in several other thefts that were carried out using the same modus operandi,” the policeman testified.

Presiding judge Jamal said the court will appoint a lawyer to defend the suspect when it reconvenes on November 29.