Three men deny forging UAE labour visa

Dubai: Three Bangladeshi suspects have denied forging a labour visa and selling it to a guard, who bought it for his brother before the latter got stranded at the airport.

Public Prosecution records claim the Pakistani guard bought the visa from the three suspects for Dh5,000 and handed it to his brother, who got stranded for three days at Dubai International Airport because the visa was forged.

The three suspects, 36-year-old M.M., 34-year-old Q.S. and 30-year-old S.H., were charged with working with two other suspects (still at large) to forge the visa.

They were additionally charged with swindling Dh5,000 from the 55-year-old guard, G.Y., after claiming that it was original and selling it to him.

When the suspects appeared in the Dubai Court of First Instance, they pleaded not guilty and said the runaways forged the visa.

S.H. was charged with aiding one of the runaways, identified as Hashim, and forging four Bangladeshi passports.

An Emirati inspector from the Department of Residency and Foreigners' Affairs in Dubai testified: "G.Y. informed the department that he paid Dh5,000 to M.M. to process a labour visa… he claimed that the suspect handed him a forged visa. G.Y. cooperated with us and we busted M.M. in a sting operation. The 36 year old denied his involvement in the forgery."

The trial continues.