Dubai: Three men have been jailed for one year each for kidnapping a businessman and confining him for five days in a garage for a ransom of Dh400,000.
The Dubai Court of First Instance convicted the three defendants, two Pakistanis and an Afghan, of kidnapping the 45-year-old Indian businessman by the use of deception.
The defendants were said to have lured the victim to a garage in Al Aweer where they claimed they wanted to meet him for business purposes. They confined him there for nearly five days and refused to release him until he paid them Dh400,000.
According to Sunday’s judgement, the Afghan, S.K., and the Pakistani defendants, A.J. and N.S., will be deported after serving their jail terms.
The victim testified that he became acquainted to N.S. in 2011 when they worked in trading in scrap.
“I ended my business relation with N.S. after a short period. I did not partner him in any other business. I went for a long holiday in India and when I returned, he asked to meet me. He repeatedly called me and asked us to do business again. On May 15, he asked me to meet him in Satwa. S.K. and A.J. picked me up and they drove to Al Aweer. They guided me to a room in the garage… N.S. came afterwards. He asked me to pay Dh400,000 which he claimed I made him lose when we were partners. I refused. They locked me up for five days… they forced me to call my family to settle the amount,” claimed the businessman.
Court records said the victim’s brother-in-law informed Dubai Police. It was said the victim’s wife contacted her relative in Dubai and told him the whereabouts of where her husband was confined. Police raided the place, arrested the defendants and released the businessman.
Sunday’s judgement remains subject to appeal within 15 days.
