Dubai: Prosecutors are seeking a capital punishment against seven suspects who were referred to court for kidnapping a marketing manager and stealing his Dh1.3 million after they posed as policemen.
The seven Asian suspects impersonated police personnel, kidnapped the manager after they shackled and threatened to kill him before they stole his money, according to Senior Prosecutor Abdullah Sultan Al Sharif.
"The maximum punishment of the crime of kidnap and confining someone's freedom is a capital punishment. We have referred the defendants to the Dubai Court of First Instance and asked for the implementation of the toughest punishment applicable," Al Sharif said on Wednesday.
According to the investigations that were conducted by Deira Prosecution, the suspects ganged up against the marketing manager and kidnapped him after they planned to run away with his money.
"We heard statements of prosecution witnesses and law enforcement officers… according to our findings, the suspects forged the logo of Dubai Police on documents that they used to pose as policemen and stop the manager when the incident happened. The used iron shackles and chained the victim before they put him in their car and they drove off. The suspects sprayed both side of a pair of sunglasses that they forced the manager to wear when they put him in the car… they intended not to make him see them or identify the car," added Al Sharif.
One of the suspects threatened to kill the victim, who was kidnapped shortly after he withdrew the money from a local bank, according to records.
The suspects drove to a desert area where they removed the moneybag from the manager's hand before they dropped him off and zoomed away.
"When he felt that the car was about to take off, the claimant wiggled his head to drop the sunglasses so he could be able to read the car plate number. Then he headed to the nearest police station and reported the matter… law enforcement officer identified the car driver from the plate number. The claimant identified the driver in the police line up. The money which was in form of three cheque [Dh1 million] and Dh300,000 cash belonged to two companies," said Al Sharif.
Primary interrogations said the suspects, who were arrested one at a time, admitted to their crime.
"We call on the public to be more vigilant and cautious when they move around and carry large amounts of money. They also need to double check the identities of any person who stops them in public," Al Sharif concluded.
A hearing will be scheduled soon.
