Dubai: A jobless Afghan has been jailed for five years after a court convicted him on Thursday of attacking a businessman in his company and stealing his Dh1.5 million at knifepoint.
The 28-year-old Afghan admitted that he aided and abetted a group of men in attacking their countryman businessman and stealing the money when he appeared before the Dubai Court of First Instance.
Pronouncing Thursday's judgment, Presiding Judge Hamad Abdul Latif Abdul Jawad said the accused, N.A., will be deported after serving five years in jail.
According to the list of charges, prosecutors said N.A. and other suspects (who remain at large) attacked the businessman, F.N., in his company and stole his money after pointing the knife to his neck.
Prosecutors also accused N.A. of unlawfully confining F.N. inside the company after they roped his arms and legs and muzzled him with a plastic tape.
Prosecution records said the accused and other runaway suspects walked into the company and roped F.N. after they attacked him. Then they threatened him with a knife to give them the pass-code of the safe before they stole the money, three mobile phones and a laptop.
"I collaborated with the runaways in the theft… but I did not assist them in confining the claimant in the flat against his will," argued N.A. when he defended himself in court.
The businessman testified that his brother transferred for him from Afghanistan Dh1.5 million for investment purposes in Dubai.
"The incident happened after I collected the money from an exchange house and headed to the company. I locked the doors behind me and sat down to finish some business. I deposited the money in the safe. The defendant N.A. came and knocked the door… I allowed him in and then the other suspects followed. When I offered them a drink, they asked for juice. The minute when I turned my back to refrigerator to serve them juice, they surprisingly attacked me from behind. They muzzled me and roped my arms and legs. I was forced to give them the safe's pass-code after they threatened me with the knife," F.N. claimed.
The Indian watchman of the building where the incident happened testified that after the heist the businessman asked him to change the door locks. He claimed that he didn't notice any signs of breaking and entering or violence inside the company. The watchman further said he didn't notice any bruises or injuries on F.N.'s body.
A police officer said the suspects were identified from the crime tools which they left behind at the flat. Police arrested N.A. and are still looking for the runaways.
Thursday's judgment remains subject to appeal within 15 days.
