Dubai: A Bangladeshi man was sentenced to one year in jail for beating up a massage seeker who pretended to be dead in order to avoid physical assault as he refused to pay massage fees.
According to the Dubai Court of First Instance, the 23-year-old Moroccan man refused to pay Dh1,000 massage fees at a centre in the Tecom area before a group of eight men attacked him and stole his money and smartphone. “They chased me and kept assaulting me outside the building until I feigned that I was dead. They left me after that,” said the Moroccan man in official records.
Records showed that he went to the massage centre at 5am in January this year. He was escorted to a room with a masseuse who told him that massage fees will be Dh1,000.
He refused to pay the amount and told the receptionist that he would only pay Dh200. “I tried to leave the apartment but eight men attacked me,” said the victim in official records.
Left for dead
The gang stole his golden necklace worth Dh2,000, Dh1,000 in cash and smartphone worth Dh4,300. As the suspects left the man thinking he was dead, the victim took a taxi and went home. The 34-year-old Bangladeshi defendant was arrested but denied assaulting the victim.
Dubai Police have identified the massage parlour owner who is staying illegally in the country. The defendant was charged with assaulting the victim and robbery.
The court additionally ordered that the defendant be deported after serving his jail term and paying a fine of Dh7,300.
