Man in Dubai jailed for throwing fake euro currency notes to gain followers
Video of him throwing fake euros at group of workers while driving went viral in UAE
Dubai: The Dubai Court of First Instance on Sunday sentenced a Dubai-based businessman to two years in jail after a video went viral showing him throwing 50,000 fake euro notes at a group of workers while driving a luxury car.
The 32-year-old Ukrainian businessman claimed that he posted the video on his Instagram page to gain more followers. Dubai Police searched the businessman’s house and found $740,000 (Dh2.7 million) and 467,000 euros (Dh2 million) in fake banknotes.
According to the Dubai Court of First Instance, the defendant ordered the fake dollars from a Chinese website. The fake euros were made for the defendant from a copy print shop in Dubai.
A 26-year-old Emirati policeman at Cyber Crime Department in Dubai Police said that the police spotted the video of the defendant throwing the fake banknotes from his moving car at Al Quoz. “He violated social distancing rules by creating a gathering of Asian workers who chased him to collect the money. He claimed later that the 50,000 euros were fake and he did it to have more followers on his Instagram account,” said the Emirati policeman in official records.
Police said the defendant endangered the workers’ lives as they ran after his moving car and could have been hit by other cars. The defendant was eventually arrested at the parking lot of a shopping centre by Dubai Police.
His Instagram account, which has nearly 400,000 followers, showed him living a tycoon’s life with expensive cars like a Rolls-Royce, Bentley, Ferrari and Lamborghini.
Many pictures and videos in the account show the defendant holding a wad of dollars and euros. “We searched his house and found thousands of fake dollars and euros. He ordered the dollars from China and the euros were bought for Dh1,000 from an Indian man,” added the Emirati policeman.
Police set trap
Dubai Police set up a trap to arrest the 36-year-old Indian salesman who works in a copy shop as he was delivering 1.5 million euros to the businessman.
According to Dubai Public Prosecution, the defendant sent a picture of a 500 euro banknote to the Indian defendant to print copies of it.
The prosecution charged the Ukrainian defendant with smuggling, possessing and dealing with fake currency. The Indian defendant was charged with forging nearly 2 million fake euros.
Both defendants were sentenced for two years in jail to be followed by deportation and Dh200,000 fine.
Judges ordered the confiscation of the fake banknotes.
The verdict will be subject to appeal within 15 days.