Six deny charges of kidnapping

Dubai: Six Bangladeshis denied in court yesterday, the charges of kidnapping and detaining a supervisor in a deserted villa and demanding Dh50,000 in ransom.

Prosecutors charged the six suspects, aged between 23 and 39, with kidnapping their compatriot supervisor, S.A., and threatening to kill him if he failed to pay a ransom.

When the suspects appeared before the Dubai Court of First Instance, they unanimously pleaded not guilty and rejected the charges.

One of the suspects, 39-year-old M.A., denied the charge of kidnapping, but argued before Presiding Judge Fahmi Mounir: "I did not kidnap or lock him up… however, I did fight with him and we exchanged assault."

According to the charge sheet, the six suspects kidnapped and detained S.A. in a villa in Satwa against his will. The suspects pushed the defendant into M.A.'s car and drove off to the villa where they locked him up for five hours and demanded ransom.

Prosecution records said the suspects demanded Dh50,000 at first before they later reduced it to Dh5,000.

Prosecutors charged the defendants with threatening to kill the supervisor if he didn't pay the ransom as well.

The 29-year-old supervisor testified that the incident happened after M.A. came to his house and asked him to join him for a ride.

"When I rejected, two men who were seated in the back came out and forced me into the vehicle… M.A. drove for a while before they parked inside a villa. There were around 10 to 13 Bangladeshi men. They locked me up in a room and demanded Dh50,000 to release me. I was brutally beaten when I said I didn't have the money."

S.A. continued: "M.A. then ordered me to phone my brother and ask him to bring the ransom…finally M.A. agreed to reduce the ransom to Dh5,000," claimed the supervisor in his statement.

According to records, M.A. left two men guarding S.A. and went out for six hours.

The claimant's brother 37-year-old B.A. testified that when his brother called him asking for ransom, he told him that he could afford only Dh5,000.

"I informed my boss and we reported to the police… the suspects were arrested in a sting operation in Satwa's public parking," claimed B.A.

Two policemen testified that during the sting operation they arrested three men who guided them to the villa and released the victim.

The trial continues.