Accountant faces trial for heist and kidnapping

Dubai: A company accountant is standing trial for plotting his own and a colleague's kidnap and robbing Dh1.37 million which they withdrew from a bank.

The 35-year-old Indian accountant, M.A., and his four compatriot associates staged the kidnap and assault after M.A.'s manager assigned him to withdraw cash from the bank.

The accountant's colleague, M.M., was with him in the same car when the incident happened.

The Public Prosecution charged 46-year-old driver E.N., 28-year-old foodstuff vendor M.K., and 32-year-old machine operator S.P., with posing as CID personnel, kidnapping and illegally detaining the accountant and M.M.

They were charged with driving off to a remote desert area where they assaulted M.A. and M.M. and stole Dh1.37 million. They also snatched away M.M.'s mobile phone when he tried to alert his manager.

The accountant and 30-year-old light vehicle driver O.F. were charged with aiding and abetting the rest of the suspects by plotting the incident. The accountant was charged with falsely alarming the police about the kidnap and robbery.

Remote desert area

M.M. testified: "The other suspects posed as policemen and forced us to ride their car. They drove us outside Dubai and assaulted M.A. and me before they pointed a pistol at our faces. They took the money and my cell phone. Then they asked me to keep my head down until they dropped me in a desert place. I hitchhiked to Al Aweer and reported our manager about the kidnap and heist."