Five men ordered to repay Dh600,000 stolen posing as Dubai police officers

Dubai: A Dubai civil court has ordered five men to jointly repay Dh600,000 stolen from a man after impersonating police officers. The court also directed them to pay Dh50,000 in compensation for material and moral damages, along with legal interest at 5 per cent from the date the case was filed.

The ruling followed a civil lawsuit filed by the victim, who sought restitution of the stolen amount, legal interest, and Dh150,000 in damages, relying on a prior criminal judgment that convicted the defendants of theft by impersonating law enforcement officers.

According to Emarat Al Youm, the incident occurred late at night in a commercial area, where the defendants stopped the victim near an office building and presented what appeared to be a military identification card.

Claiming to be investigators, they searched him, confiscated his mobile phone, bank cards, and a bag containing Dh600,000, then asked him to wait for “another unit” to arrive before fleeing the scene.

Authorities moved swiftly after the report was filed, identifying and arresting the suspects and referring them to the Public Prosecution. A criminal court later convicted them, sentencing each to six months in prison, fining them Dh600,000, and ordering their deportation.

After the criminal ruling became final, the victim pursued a civil claim. Although the defendants were duly notified, they failed to appear. The court therefore treated the judgment as issued in their presence and held that the final criminal verdict carried binding authority over the civil court regarding the facts of the crime and the defendants’ liability.

In its reasoning, the court said the criminal judgment had conclusively established the theft, its legal characterisation, and the defendants’ involvement, leaving no room to revisit those issues in civil proceedings. It found the defendants civilly liable for both the direct financial loss and the psychological harm suffered by the victim.

The court ordered the five defendants, jointly and severally, to return the full Dh600,000, pay interest at 5 per cent from the date of the claim until full settlement, and compensate the victim Dh50,000 in damages, rejecting all other claims.