Abu Dhabi: An owner of a 2008 Mercedes 500 who agreed to sell his car for Dh470,000 was not able to cash the cheque he received, the Abu Dhabi Criminal Court of first instance heard on Tuesday.

K.A., the owner of the car, agreed to sell it to defendant, F.A., who allegedly pretended to be a famous millionaire in Dubai.

F.A. sent a cheque to the car's owner which allegedly bounced when K.A. tried to cash it.

"The cheque was given to me on a Thursday so I didn't find out until after the weekend that it was a bad cheque," K.A. told Gulf News.

"I am in a shock, our country is one of the safest in the world where such a crime shouldn't take place," the Emirati said.

Showroom

K.A. said he then called the police. The car was found in a car showroom in Sharjah with a different number plate.

Three men were charged in relation to the case: F.A., who bought the car; B.K., who brought the cheque to K.A.; and M.A., in whose showroom the car was found.

B.K. and M.A. have been charged in absentia.

When asked by the judge, K.A. said that the defendant, who appeared before the court, was the person who had approached him to buy his car.