Dubai: A gang robbed Dh280,000 from a Dubai-based Indian man after he was lured into a fake massage parlour, the Dubai Court of First Instance heard.
According to records, the 33-year-old Indian victim saw an offer for a massage session for Dh200 with pictures of beautiful girls promoting it. He contacted the number provided and went as directed to an apartment in the Al Refaa area of Dubai in November 2020.
“I saw four African women inside the apartment and gave them Dh200. They asked me to open my bank’s application [on my mobile phone] and transfer money. They threatened me with a knife at my throat and slapped me on the face,” said the victim on record. One of the women then took his credit card and withdrew Dh30,000 from an ATM. He was kept confined in the apartment for one day as the women transferred Dh250,000 from the victim’s bank account to other accounts.
“They allowed me to leave the apartment only after they took away my iPhone too. I alerted the bank and reported the incident to police,” added the victim.
Intensive investigations
According to Dubai Police, three Nigerian women were arrested from Sharjah after intensive investigations, while a fourth woman is still at large. “One of them admitted to luring the victim through the Tinder application, offering massage services and using pictures of beautiful women. They kept the victim locked up inside the apartment and wired the money from his account to different accounts outside the country,” said the policeman on record.
The three Nigerian defendants have been charged with robbery, issuing threats, keeping the victim forcefully confined inside an apartment and prostitution.
The next hearing is scheduled for March 4.
